Genotype, a compulsory test for couples before marriage- Senate

A bill has been passed by the Senate to make Hemoglobin-Genotype screening before marriage a must for all intending couples.

The bill which was first read on March 28, 2017, was sponsored by Senator Ahmed Ogembe, PDP, Kogi Central, and Co- Sponsored by Senator Ovie Omo- Agege, APC, Delta Central. The screening must be done before Marriages will be done under the Marriage Act and before registration of every new birth.

The purpose of the bill was to create a means of managing Sickle cell disease effectively as the major cause of the disease is the marriage between people with the wrong match of genotypes.

Senator Ogembe who led the debate on the bill said: “We simply want to avoid human anxiety, pains, and death as related to Sickle Cell disease. We want to improve the lives of often forgotten citizens who live with it. Unknown to many, it is one of the biggest public health problems in Nigeria.”

The senator who mentioned that Nigeria is known to have the greatest number of sickle cell disease in the world from research also said: “This bill when passed will reduce the incidence of the disease to the barest minimum in our nation and allow families to live in joy.”

He explained that screening and awareness will reduce the rate of the disease in the country. The senator added that the bill is supported by the 1999 Constitution in Section 45(1) that overrule Section 37 which states that there should be no breach of the right to private and family life.

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