Premarital medical tests spreading as Japanese tie the knot later

I don't see how this could be an issue of eugenics – unless the tests are at the DNA level, looking for disease markers or for ancestral linage.

GATTACA in the works leading to designer babies, super soldiers, new forms of life, and genetic discrimination.

MARIAGE IS ONLY ABOUT LOVE

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In France, you have to marry for love. The underlying is "shared sex on a truth base". Both couple part say they love each other and they will shared intimacy based on love. This is about love and lying about it for sex is called : surprised rape (even outside wedlock).

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But yes, eugenic and colonial laws are forbidden. For example, you can divorce for the "no sex", the "no love", but not because of "infertility". We got many ethics and understand "wedlove". If you need the fertility reassurance, there is a problem and no contract should pass on.

Now, the sex disease blood test are mandatory before the wedding to make sure every basic truths are shared. But unfertility should be an after wedding truth to avoid family pressure. It takes time to adapt but everyone does.

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To conclude...

In France, mariage is about love. Lying about anything (including love) to have sex is called : surprise rape.

Consensual sex is allowed but it is based on full truth for both partner.

Even in France, male are a bit slow and forgiving on that part, but, it is less and less.

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NCM

(Joke by a male friend : in Japan, we go by "consensual rape". You're lucky.).

Nadege

My family lives in France, are you sure that everyones like this or its just you?

In France people do all kinds of things and they have sex for all kinda reasons too.

Half couples I know have either done this or are trying fertility treatment.

"In France, premarital health checkups were previously mandatory based on a eugenic policy,"

Japan today, please correct : premarital (prenuptial in French) health checkups have never been based on eugenics but knowledge of one's own conditions. There was no exchange of information obtained between bride and broom, except if willing to share. So nothing to do about eugenics (a set of beliefs and practices that aims at improving the genetic quality of a human population).

Nadege

Random thoughts are better kept in your head instead of actually trying to type them out as posts.

I am french too and I agree with Nadege: marriage is about love, nothing else. Also, since when do we need to be married to have kids ? But it is probably my very french side speaking here since it is very common to have kids without being married in France. I agree with the point of the article that it can impact the future but no need for a test just a open discussion with your partner to understand your life goals and expectations for this relationships. And if you truly love the person, will you reject him/her because he/she cannot have kids ? This is not what marriage should be about in my opinion.

Let’s not overreact. No one‘s talking about making those premarital checkups mandatoy. If you are so concerned about infertility due to late marriage, just marry young.

OK, serious question for the group.

This is a Kyodo article.

So...

What is the original Japanese equivalent of "eugenic policy"??

Because I am assuming this is a translation and I would really like to know what the original Japanese language version was.

I’d want to know why it wouldn’t be a good idea to check for diseases before marrying someone- wouldn’t you?

I’d want to know why it wouldn’t be a good idea to check for diseases before marrying someone- wouldn’t you?

Especially since not many people here get regularly tested for STDs - or always use a condom! I'm pretty sure a lot of young Japanese go through their twenties without ever getting checked! STDs are often symptom less and can cause infertility, so really, checking before getting married - at the very least - should be encouraged! In an ideal world, everyone should get checked every year... I wish the Japanese government would make all STD checks free. Unless you have symptoms, it's not covered by insurance and you have to pay everything out of pocket. We're talking 20,000-30,000 to check for the main ones! Insane!

I would never get married without first getting myself checked for fertility issues.

We're talking 20,000-30,000 to check for the main ones! Insane!

Nonsense. I've had the full set of tests recently, and it came to a little over ¥7000.

The flip side to the test is if one of the couples test comes back with less then 100% and thing are "not quite right", will this lead to more breakdown of relationships as one or both of the couple want a child?

Addentum

This is about marriage, and the contract say "love each other". We don't do arrange wedding anymore. This is freedom for all.

Now, if you want to marry without mutual love, you can choose other vows with both consents (to avoid with a foreigner). But, you can not force anyone to marry without love consent. This is punish by law too, if one of the partners push a law complaint.

As I said this is not "everyday perfect" but the law try to be.

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NCM

I wouldn't want to marry anyone who insisted I have one of these check ups.

I would never get married without first getting myself checked for fertility issues.

Why?

Take the tests freely and fully informed of what you’re getting.

Take the tests freely and fully informed of what you’re getting.

When you marry someone you aren’t "getting" anything. Your partner isn't a service or something that you pay for. That arrangement exists, but it's not called marriage.

Why?

It would be selfish to my partner not to.

Marriage is more of a business partnership in Japan, especially the arranged marriages. You and your partner are together only to exchange services.

Health checkups are just an help. Most important is confidence and trying.

"You and your partner are together only to exchange services".

Charming.