Wife seeks divorce after having handicapped baby

An Arab woman in Ras Al Khaimah is seeking divorce from her husband, who is also her cousin, after she delivered a handicapped baby, saying endogamy is to blame for this problem, newspapers reported on Wednesday.

The woman told the Personal Affairs Court in the northern emirate that she had delivered another baby, who was born mentally and physically challenged, and later died.

The unnamed woman presented medical reports to the court showing she had also aborted other babies and that all of them were handicapped.

Her lawyer, Mohammed Al Mouli, told court that the wife has the legal right to seek a divorce to avoid having more handicapped babies, adding that medicine has proved endogamy — marriage of relatives — produces mentally and physically challenged children in many cases.

He also said the husband has been staying temporarily outside the UAE, leaving his wife alone looking after the baby and paying hospital costs.

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