Why do the bride and groom have to get blood tests before they get married?

Most states no longer require blood tests. It was originally intended as a measure to control the spread of syphilis, a disastrous STD for which there was no reliable cure until penicillin was developed in the 1940s.

Many states have done away with this requirement. It used to be a means of checking for venereal disease at a time when it was assumed that at least one party (usually the bride) was probably a virgin before marriage. The idea was to ensure that an infected partner got treated before marriage, so that the other partner wouldn't be infected and any babies would be healthy.

For a while, such laws were kept on the books in various places because no one thought about changing them, but they've been rescinded now in a lot of states. When I married, Pennsylvania still had this law, but it no longer does.

So, you have to check to find out whether your state still requires the tests.

Edit: Kim, the blood tests for marriage that used to be required by law everywhere do not involve genetic testing. Genetic testing is much more elaborate and expensive and involves a visit to a specialist and a genetic counselor. States have never required it.

In some states like NJ ( back in 1974 when I married the first time) a blood test was required to screen for STDs in an attempt to prevent the spread of STDs and having newborns contract the disease thru undiagnosed mothers....now a days it's useless as many babies are born outside of marriage and most people do not wait until marriage to have sex. The ONLY way to determine brother/sister is DNA and those blood tests required for a marriage license were on the books LONG BEFORE DNA testing was even possible!

They are rerunning older columns. I don't believe any state requires blood tests now. Silly, really, since most couples have sex long before they marry. In the past, the primary reason for blood tests was to counsel couples before they got married if the woman was RH negative or if either had STDs.

Even NY brought back blood tests for a time to test for HIV, but for a variety of reasons, this was thrown out. The rest were tossed out when HIPPA came along because government offices weren't subject to the privacy laws.

I wouldn't worry about it because majority of the states don't bother with it anymore. And secondly it is unconstitutional to reject a marriage license over medical records (including blood testing). So even if you do have to get a blood test they can't do anything no matter what the results are. The only requirement in Michigan (we just applied for our license) is that they have to give you a pamphlet about STDs and what you should do when you get married (counseling mostly).

A handful of states still require blood tests for couples planning to marry. Most do not.

Premarital blood tests check both partners for venereal disease or rubella (measles). The tests may also disclose the presence of genetic disorders such as sickle-cell anemia or Tay-Sachs disease. You will not be tested for HIV, but in some states, the person who tests you will provide you with information about HIV and AIDS. In most states, blood tests can be waived for people over 50 and for other reasons, including pregnancy or sterility.

If either partner tests positive for a venereal disease, what happens depends on the state where you are marrying. Some states may refuse to issue you a marriage license. Other states may allow you to marry as long as you both know that the disease is present.

I'm a nurse and teach on the subject of STD's. I'd like to say that it does matter, to me at least, when you have sex and if you're married or not at the time, however I do understand that in our society it doesn't matter to many people. So, may I also say that to the many sexually transmitted diseases out there, chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV / AIDS, & HPV, to name a few, it doesn't matter when you are sexually active!!! They do not discriminate. If you have one of these diseases, you are vulnerable to contracting another and you may pass them on to your partner as the biggest symptom of many of these diseases is that they have no symptoms early on and for quite some time...until they have progressed and caused some damage to your reproductive system. One of those conditions is Pelvic Inflammatory Disease which is painful & will lead to infertility in women. There's Epididymitis which can be chronic in men, is very painful, and also leads to infertility. If you are sexually active, have many partners or have had, & / or are having some of the symptoms of PID or Epidiymitis, you should be tested and treated as well as your partner. It doesn't hurt to get tested and treated before one becomes symptomatic and it may be too late as antibiotics, which can only be used for the two bacterial diseases I mentioned (chlamydia & gonorrhea), cannot remove scar tissue caused by PID or Epididymitis. They can only deal with the infections themselves! As for the viruses, there are medications which help to deal with the symptoms only. Be smart & be healthy. Make good choices!

here are numerous reasons why a once committed relationship would degenerate to one partner asking for a divorce. how to save your marriage https://tr.im/o3hZz

It could have been:

- an affair

- having been separated by a long distance for lengths of time

- conflict

- behavioral issues or psychological problems of one spouse

- even unmanaged addictions.

Whatever of these problems may be what is seen on the surface, the bottom line is that usually, barring any abuse or psychological problems that are best handled by a professional, a couple find themselves in danger of divorce when there is a loss of:

- communication,

- love

- and intimacy

in the marital relationship.

Only in some states and they are old laws on the books to check for VD so that children conceived (the assumed reason for marriage to be fruitful and multiply) would not be damaged by the disease. Probably too much effort to remove the laws and is a way to force people to get checked. VD use to be a big scare years ago - but new disease have made those curable ones look tame.

http://usmarriagelaws.com/search/united_states/blo...

for the time of on the present time & age with the illness that's rampant, i think of it could be mandatory. We had to have one while we've been given married some years in the past, & my fiance/husband develop into & is deathly terrified of needles. develop into no longer solid. :) that's no longer required right here.....a county in Ohio.