Brother-sister couple fail in fight against anti-incest laws

The European Court of Human Rights has decided to keep incest in Germany illegal, citing the damages inbreeding can cause to offspring. The ECHR was prodded into making such a seemingly obvious statement because of a brother-sister couple who says their home country of Germany had no right to penalize their relationship. The pair did not grow up together, but met in their 20s after the brother, who had been adopted, tracked down his biological family, and they now have four children, two of whom are described as having "disabilities." Surprisingly, if the court had overturned the ban, it would not be the first European effort to decriminalize incest: France doesn't prosecute such relationships, and Sweden allows half-siblings to marry.