LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Editor's note: a previous version of this story failed to distinguish between the lawmaker's intentions and the bill containing the clerical error actually being filed. The error has been corrected.
A social media post seen 1.4 million times claims a Kentucky lawmaker filed a bill with the intention of taking 'first cousin' out of the state's incest law.
House Bill 269 was pulled from consideration less than 24 hours after it was filed. Several X posts claim the bill, filed by Kentucky Rep. Nick Wilson, removes ‘first cousins’ from the law criminalizing incest.
Several screenshots of the bill were posted on social media, many accusing the representative of trying to legalize first-cousin incest. So, the WHAS11 verify team dug into the facts.
QUESTION:
Did a Kentucky lawmaker intend to legalize incest between first cousins?
SOURCES:
ANSWER:
No, a representative did not intend to legalize first cousin incest with a bill he filed — it was a clerical mistake.
WHAT WE FOUND:
Here’s what is sticking out to everyone— a line which lists the people who are considered family under the law. The words “first cousin” are crossed out.
When you look up the bill on the Kentucky General Assembly website, the summary says the bill would “remove first cousin from the list of familial relationships.”
But if the bill is read in its entirety – it does say it's illegal for anyone with blood or half-blood relationships to engage in incest.
WHAS11 contacted Representative Wilson’s office and they directed us to a statement posted on his Facebook.
He says, “During the drafting process, there was an inadvertent change, which struck ‘first cousins’ from the list of relationships included under the incest statute, and I failed to add it back in.” He goes on to say the point of the bill is to broaden the law to include sexual touching or groping. In the version of the law now, only sexual intercourse is included.
Rep. Wilson pulled the bill and says he will fix the mistake before refiling.
