PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 786 PRINTER'S NO. 1500
No. 695 Session of 1975
INTRODUCED BY MRS. KELLY, MESSRS., DiCARLO, USTYNOSKI, DIETZ,
McLANE, FEE, REED, BERLIN, McCLATCHY AND HILL, MARCH 11, 1975
AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND WELFARE, HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, MAY 27, 1975
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of April 23, 1956 (P.L.1510, No.500), entitled,
2 as amended, "An act providing for the prevention and control
3 of communicable and non-communicable diseases including
4 venereal diseases, fixing responsibility for disease
5 prevention and control, requiring reports of diseases, and
6 authorizing treatment of venereal diseases, and providing for
7 premarital and prenatal blood tests; amending, revising and
8 consolidating the laws relating thereto; and repealing
9 certain acts," providing for serological testing to identify
10 carriers of certain genetic diseases and the reporting and
11 use of such tests.
12 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
13 hereby enacts as follows:
14 Section 1. The heading of section 12, act of April 23, 1956
15 (P.L.1510, No.500), known as the "Disease Prevention and Control
16 Law of 1955," is amended and a subsection is added to read:
17 Section 12. Premarital Examination for [ Syphilis ] AND <--
18 OTHER Diseases.--
19 (c.1) The standard forms supplied to physicians and
20 laboratories by the Department of Health for the reporting of
21 serological testing shall contain the following statements: (1)
22 blood testing may identify carriers of genetic diseases,
1 including but not limited to tay sachs disease, sickle cell
2 anemia and cooley's anemia (2) such tests can be administered at
3 the request of the examining physician at the same time that the
4 tests for venereal disease are administered, if the physician
5 determines the test to be necessary, and if the patients agree
6 to such test. In cases where genetic testing proves positive,
7 the examining physician shall offer to refer the individuals for
8 genetic counseling. No application for a marriage license shall
9 be denied solely because such genetic tests prove positive nor
10 shall the absence of such a test invalidate a marriage.
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