The Latin word consanguinĭtas came to our language as consanguinity . It is a word that is the result of the sum of several clearly defined elements such as these:
-The prefix “con-”, which means “together”.
-The noun “sanguis”, which is synonymous with “blood”.
-The suffix “-dad”, which is used to indicate “quality”.
This is the name given to the relationship between two or more people with a close ancestor in common .
Consanguinity, therefore, is a blood relationship between individuals. It is said that these subjects share blood because they have a common ancestor. There are other relationships, however, that do not have consanguinity, but are established through the law . If a couple adopts a child, a paternity relationship is established, but without consanguinity: the child and his adoptive parents do not have common ancestors.
One can distinguish, therefore, between kinship by consanguinity and kinship by affinity . These notions are important in the legal field since they determine how the rights linked to the family are established.
The degrees of consanguinity are especially important within the workplace when it comes to being able to enjoy permits for the people with whom they have them. That is, to be able to use leave due to birth, illness, death...
In this case, several types of degrees of consanguinity are established:
-First degree, in which the father, mother, son or daughter are found.
-Second degree, where grandfather, grandmother, brother, sister, grandson or granddaughter are included.
-Third grade. This includes the uncle, aunt, great-grandfather, great-grandmother, great-grandson or great-granddaughter, as well as the nephew and niece.
-Fourth grade, where great-uncles and cousins are found.
When requesting certain permissions, the degrees of affinity must also be taken into account. In this case, two fundamentally stand out:
-The first degree, where the father-in-law and mother-in-law are as well as the daughter-in-law and the son-in-law.
-The second degree, where the brother-in-law and sister-in-law are framed.
Although legislation varies depending on the country, it is common for blood relationship to be equated to relationship established through adoption. An adopted child, in this way, has the same rights as a natural child. Thus the inheritance is distributed equitably among all the children, for example, regardless of the existence or not of consanguinity.
It should be noted that, according to the generations that intervene in a person's family tree, different degrees of consanguinity can be recognized. The bond between a father and a son, to cite one case, is of the first degree . Consanguinity can occur by direct line (individuals who descend from each other) or by collateral line (these relatives are not descended from each other, although they share the same trunk, like brothers).
It is important to establish that for centuries there have been unions of couples that had the peculiarity that their members were consanguinity. A situation that can result in the children they have having mental retardations, congenital malformations or very serious hereditary diseases.