Blood tests and getting married - Lois & Clark Fanfic Message Boards

So, I'm curious.

One constantly hears about Americans wanting to get married and having to have a blood test first - or going to Las Vegas so they don't have to have the test.

What's it all about?

1. What's the test for? STDs?
2. How long does it take?
3. What happens if you "fail" it - you can't get married?
4. What states have or don't have the law that says you need to have the test?

Part of why I'm curious is that I don't recall having seen a fic where Clark has to worry about how he's going to get a blood sample, or somehow fake the test...

These questions may or may not have anything to do with any fic or fics I may or may not allegedly be writing, in this or any parallel universe.

Mere

Here's a list of states in the US that require blood tests...

List of States

from elsewhere in the same site :

Quote

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.

Be aware that the list is current. (For example, California required a blood test in 1992, but does not any longer.) About 5(?) years ago, a number of states that had required blood tests stopped requiring them.

Thanks a lot, guys. It looks as if the tests are on the way out, then.

Does anyone happen to know roughly how many of the states would have required blood tests back in about '95?

Mere