Premarital blood screening

A PML-N lawmaker has tabled a bill in the Senate with the express purpose of checking inherited blood disorders

In a significant development, a lawmaker of the ruling PML-N has tabled a bill in the Senate with the express purpose of checking inherited blood disorders and birth defects. The Premarital Blood Screening (Family Laws Amendment) Act 2016 was moved by Senator Chaudhry Tanvir Khan, which was quickly referred to the relevant committee for further deliberations. The bill aims to bring amendments to family laws to control the spread of HIV/AIDS, thalassemia, hepatitis and other communicable diseases by making pre-marital blood screening mandatory. It states that under the amended family laws, which include Muslim Marriage, Christian Marriage and Divorce Act and Parsi Marriage Act, a couple would be bound to get their blood screened before marriage.

The Fatimid Foundation, an NGO working for treatment of thalassemia, says that around 8,000 babies are born every year with thalassemia major in Pakistan. It is no surprise then that public health experts have been clamouring for a thalassemia test to be made compulsory before a couple ties the nuptial knot. Thalassemia is a genetic disorder that is passed over from parents to their children. Potential parents need to undergo genetic screening to see if their children are likely to suffer from the disease. The ailment involves the absence of — or errors in — genes responsible for production of haemoglobin. The mover of the bill contends that once the legislation is passed, marriage will not be considered valid without the report of blood screening and the couple will be bound to get a medical certificate from the doctor concerned. The nikah registrar, according to him, will register the marriage after getting that certificate. The move represents a leap forward in the fight against communicable diseases, but since the law also falls within the domain of the religious ministry, the input of religious scholars will need to be sought. There is a chance that there will be resistance from religious parties and conservative elements within and outside parliament. Their objections, however, should not come in the way of a law that has the potential of saving many lives.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30^th, 2016.

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