Marriage and Blood Tests
May 2, 2009 by Eve McKinsey
Filed under Relationships
Do you know the origin of mandatory blood tests before getting your marriage license?
I had no idea, until I read in The Globe and Mail today that the primary reason was syphilis. My first thought was “that seems reasonable”, but then I thought back and tried to remember if Paul and I had one before we got married. I couldn’t recall, so I asked him – apparently, we didn’t.
“Now, very few states still require a blood test,” she writes. “This testing has been phased out because syphilis was considered virtually eradicated.” It was also thought to be a burden on taxpayers because the screening targeted people in generally monogamous relationships, a low-risk group.
Image: stock.xchng
I can’t imagine finding out your partner has a sexually transmitted disease while you are in the final stages of marriage preparation is a fun experience for anyone. Though I wonder what percentage of the time that actually came up when the tests were mandatory.
In any case, sharing medical history, issues and important information before you get married still seems to be a good idea. You are signing up to be with someone for the rest of your life – you should know what you’re getting, right?
