The new marriage law providing for pre-marriage checkup will be in force on Sunday, August 2, 2009, Assistant Undersecretary of Kuwaiti Ministry of Health for Medical Services, Dr. Yousuf Al-Nesf announced Wednesday.
Why?
“The aim of the legislation is to ensure a healthy and happy family and eradicate the hereditary and communicable diseases in Kuwait”, said Dr. Yousef Al-Nesf during the announcement.
Meanwhile, Abdullah Al-Hamoud, supervisor of family affairs at the Justice Ministry, said if the results of the lab tests proved that the would-be marriage is unsafe due to the illness of one or both of the partners, the marriage contract would be cancelled.
“A marriage officer is authorized to solemnize a marriage only after receiving a certificate that verifies that the couple conducted a checkup and were physically fit,” Al-Hamoud reminded.
The survival of the fittest or is it catalyzing the process of being the fittest ?
Do we need to accelerate the nature’s process by adopting such rules?
Are we morally justified ?
If awareness has to be spread, it needs to be about hereditary diseases and how to overcome them, not, public awareness of the enforcement of the law, after deciding the law.
Its not education, its trumpeting around to make a law heard.
The nature has its selection process and the best will always survive and they had been through out the ages.
~ Soul
i believe it is justified just because of the fact that many hereditary disease s are being spread like wildfire here. due to the fact that many inbreeding marriages seem to exist instead of advocating for a marriage out side the family, kuwait specifically due to its small population and this belief.
I read the other day that the check-up is NOT binding, and couples still can marry even if the results are not good..
I don’t even know where they are going with this! They need to clear up the issues we have with the current health system instead trying to enforce some stupid law about hereditary issues.
Salah,
This is what KUNA reports:
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2004432&Language=en
“A marriage officer is authorized to solemnize a marriage ONLY after receiving a certificate that verifies that the couple conducted a checkup and were physically fit,” Al-Hamoud reminded.
I am still not sure, if it is not binding.
If there is a link, can you provide the link ?
Marzouq,
I concur with you about the existing health system issues.
A mandatory medical check is alright.
However, a mandatory certificate to solemnize a marriage is bullshit.
~ Soul
First of all I think it should be optional. Obliging ppl to take it in order to get married is just absurd.
Second, who says that it’s %100 accurate! You really never know, at the end a test could tell you something while reality is just bright and sunny!
Third, ppl should just marry outside the family circle “roo7 b3eed o ta3aal saalim”
nice blog 😉
According to Kuwaiti standards one must find a spouse that:
– Is approved in terms of origin.
– Is approved financially.
– Is approved by one’s family.
– Has many things in common with other spouse.
– Has an adorable personality.
– Has unbelievable hotness.
After one finds a spouse of these qualifications by process of elimination and numerous meetings, one must seek approval from the aspired to be spouse.
After that, one must seek approval from the ministry of health.
On a lighter note, can two Kuwaitis marry abroad, have their honeymoon and fly back to Kuwait as newlyweds?
Well we are good at finding loopholes aren’t we?
And doesn’t that characteristic qualify as improvising trait?
Am not sure about exactly if a marriage outside Kuwait is recognized in Kuwait after this rule is implemented.
I think it still needs endorsement from one or more ministries.
However, a legal marriage is a legal irrespective of the location.
~ Soul
I agree with you Shaikha.
~ Soul
well,they should give them (the couple) the result and they have right to choose their own destiny !!
I think that having a pre-marriage check up is necessary if only for the couple to know if they will have any genetic risks..whether the couple decides to get married or not should be to their own discretion.
It is true there are many problems in our ministry of health, but this law is something that I think should be implemented!
How ?
~ Soul
i guess this law is fair regardless the health system here in kuwait.
C’mon. Everybody knows why they’re performing these: it is to ensure that the bride and groom are not brother and sister.
“I’m going to the diwaniya.” “I’m going shopping.” …. and 9 months later… OOPS (or double OOPS).
Should a government be given this much power? And what happens if the couple *gasp* dont want children? Yes some people do get married for companionship and not for the purpose of starting a family.
is this a sharia compatible marriage?? or is it considered as bid3a??
are our marriages according to religion laws or based on land laws? i guess people still would marry.. yet the civil part of it MIGHT be not recognized by the state if they don’t do the extra legal stuff!
let people chose.. enuff with misguided guidance!
Medical Ethics regards patient autonomy as paramount over all including “doing no harm”. There’s a reason for this, people should not be told who they can marry on the basis of whether or not they have the clap, HIV, AIDS or hepatitis. Then there are other issues such as confidentiality and whether or not having HIV/AIDS should be included in the legal definition of marriage. If it is then the definition of marriage should be:
“A union between two people of opposite sex with the sole purpose of procreation such that no sexually transmitted disease should be in any of their records and no autosomal dominant or recessive diseases should be manifest in either of the individuals genetic code (whether or not these variations in genetics are a disease should be defined at the discretion of the marriage officer, further more the error margins of these tests should also be defined by the fucking paperweight who can barely write his name.)”
These tests take far too long to get done (approximately two weeks, which adds further burden to a limping mule of a healthcare system and a couple who barely know each other trying to get everything done in time)
They should also test for fertility before marraige ……
fucking turnips …..
Sounds like something out of Orwell…
I think in theory genetic testing is great if there is a predisposition (like if you’re marrying your cousin), if there is family history of any genetically passed diseases. Unfortunately the Kuwaiti health system cannot support such an influx of medical tests, as it does not have the infrastructure to support it. There need to be counsellors, skilled lab techs, doctors to interpret the results and so many other things that as usual, no one has thought of.
As for all the other tests they are thinking of doing…I’m not sure that these are worthwhile without much further study and people later on to deal with the fallout of when the tests are positive for STDs and other things….
A bad idea in my opinion!!!!
I do not have very much information about this, but,what I was informed was that a couple should take the test before marriage just so that they could be aware of what disabilities their children could have. Even if the couple would have children with disabilities, the government does not interfere with the marriage. Is my information correct and what are your opinions on this?