A member of the Egyptian parliament submitted to the House of Representatives a bill suggesting that medical and psychological examinations be a pre-requiste for couples about to marry.
According to a report published by Psychology Today, a psychological test is recommended because many after consummation of marriage end up in divorce.
The number of divorces in Egypt in 2020 reached 120,000, according to data from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).
The report listed several important items to be included in the psychological test:
- How the two parties deal with life pressures such as a relative’s illness, or going through financial hardship, or increasing responsibilities, and others. During marriage, both parties go through various situations and pressures, and it is important to know how to deal with them before a couple can begin their lives together.
- Knowing the other party’s desire to have children, how many and when the appropriate time to have them will be.
- Research has shown the inevitability of conflicts between spouses after a period of time – thus it is vital to know how each party can handle them.
- The time each party needs apart from the other time to calm down. Some may be accustomed to playing a particular sport, or being silent for ten minutes at the beginning of the day. There is a difference in the amount of time each individual needs for themselves.
- Determining responsibilities and household chores, and the roles of each other with the presence of children, moving to another job or to another home.
In addition to the psychological tests bill, there are already a range of medical tests for husband and wife to be.
According to Healthtracka, medical tests include blood type, DNA tests, in addition to HIV, and hepatitis C tests.
The draft law in Egypt includes conducting a set of medical, psychological and social examinations, including analysis, laboratory procedures and diagnostic radiology for early detection of genetic, immune and infectious diseases.
