THE WISCONSIN MARRIAGE DIFFICULTY.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 18, 26 February 1914, Page 4

THE WISCONSIN MARRIAGE DIFFICULTY.

The drastic Eugenic Marriage Law recently enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wisconsin requiring all 5 applicants for a marriage license to produce a doctor's certificate showing they are free from disease, was the subject of a test case begun last month.at Milwaukee, LT.S.A. The New York correspondent of "The Times" cabled that the law prescribed that doctors must, for aj fee of 12/-, subject all applicants tor health certificates to certain tests. Against this provision the majority of doctors in the State went on strike. The result was an unprecedented "slump" in marriage business, as registrars refused to grant licenses to couples"" who had not the necessary health certificates. The plaintiff in the test case complained that he wanted to get married, but could not find a doctor willing to issue the medical certificate for the legal fee of 12/-. Among the witnesses was Dr Horace Manchester Brown, the leader of the striking doctors, who declared that the wording of the law made it impossible for any practitioner to issue a eugenic-license without either losing money or perjuring himself. To this Dr P. Ravenal, bacteriologist at the State University, added there was not 25 doctors ifl the whole State qualified to give the Wasserman test. Counsel for the State admitted tor the Court that the Wasserman test could not be performed for the fee prescribed by the new law.