# Blood tests before marriage?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-tests-before-marriage/479331>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 31, 2008, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-tests-before-marriage/479331 "2008-12-31T08:15:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![tzimmerman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@tzimmerman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tzimmerman)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-tests-before-marriage/479331/1 "2008-12-31T08:15:39Z")

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I was recently watching “The Graduate,” and after asking the girl to marry him, Dustin Hoffman’s character said they would need to get a blood test. I vaugely remember hearing somethign like that in another context as well.  
Is there a law enforcing this? What are they testing for?

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**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-tests-before-marriage/479331/2 "2008-12-31T08:34:15Z")

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> **[What’s the purpose of premarital blood testing?](https://www.straightdope.com/21342291/what-s-the-purpose-of-premarital-blood-testing)**