Cousins Make a Dozen: Why Family Reunions are Necessary

Over the past few weeks, the internet has been in an uproar over rapper Kevin Gates admitting that he's in a sexual relationship with his cousin. He says after three months of interacting with the young lady, his grandmother told him of the relation; but since they'd already been involved and didn't grow up together, he planned to continue the relationship.

(WARNING: Contains VERY explicit language:)

I remember as a child being told, "Cousins make a dozen."  This was usually stated after a male and female cousin denied a statement that they were attracted to each other. For a long time, I still didn't know what it meant. Then, someone explained that sleeping with one's cousin is not as uncommon as we'd like to think. I've heard people trying to count to determine how far a cousin was removed from his/her bloodline to decide whether or not they'd become involved with that relative. I've even heard a man state that he only has sisters and first cousins after dark. Sad yet hilarious at the same time. On one blog discussing Kevin Gates' admission, a person commented that if all of mankind came from Adam and Eve, incest is natural and that there's nothing new under the sun.

I've always followed the idea that if I can count how far removed a person is from my bloodline, then I count that person as my cousin. Period!  Of course, this makes dating a little harder, but I'd rather make this consideration than set my child up for a lifetime of hardship due to the possibility of birth defects that can be avoided. Again, that's just me. But I want to know about YOU. How far back do you count to consider a person your cousin? Have you ever been in a situation like Kevin Gates' where you discovered a person was your cousin after you'd gotten involved? What would you have done if you were in that situation? Since "the damage" had been done, would you continue or would you end it?