4
MEMBERS {) + + hi ata ‘Sa oF ea

MERVYN M, DYMALLY
VICE CHAIRIAAN
PETER H. BEHR
W. CRAIG BIDDLE
RALPH C. DILLS
JOHN L. HARMER
JOSEPH M. KENNICK
MILTON MARKS
GEORGE MOSCONE
DAVID A. ROBERTI
JACK SCHRADE
ALFRED H. SONG
JAMES E. WHETMORE

“G94
iS
COMMITTEE ADDRESS

STATE CAPITOL
445-5965

40580 VY
California Legislature

WILLIAM E. BARNABY
CONSULTANT

 

Larry A. AGRAN
COUNSEL

Senate Committee

Health and Welfare

BILLIE J. MITCHELL
SECRETARY

ANTHONY GC. BEILENSON €2
CHAIRMAN

eA NtEnint RAEN a
ee

June 1, 1973

Professor Joshua Lederberg
Department of Genetics
School of Medicine
Stanford University
Stanford, California 94305
Dear Professor Lederberg:

Please excuse the delay in responding to your
inguiry of a few weeks ago regarding the present status
of state law requiring blood tests for venereal disease
detection purposes of marriage license applicants. n-
exceptionally heavy workload has caused me to fall
behind with some of my correspondence.

California
required a blood
determination as
syphilis.

law (see enclosed) for some years has
test of marriage applicants for a
to the presence or absence of infectious

A bill I authored last year (SB 1002 -- see copy
enclosed) added a requirement that female applicants be
tested to determine if they are immune to rubella
Questions as to the availability of sufficient Taboratory
capability to perform rubella tests resulted in my
introduction of SB 322 this year.

Your point is well taken in suggesting mandatory
blood tests or physical examinations as a condition to
public school attendance. My only question would be as
to the feasibility of such testing on a mass basis so that
it would not pose a hardship or prevent some children
from attending school.
Professor Joshua Lederberg
June 1, 1973
Page Two

Your comments in that regard would be welcome and
I will explore the matter with state officials associated
with VD control efforts.

Thank you for taking the time to make the suggestion
and, again, I regret the delay in responding.

_Sinc®rely , e r-

rir ©
Lacon

ANTHONY C. BEI

 

 

ACB:kpm

Enclosures (3)

cc: Dr. Warren Ketterer
Department of Public Health