Local and state officials are disputing an Illinois law that went into effect Jan. 1 which requires couples applying for marriage licenses to take a blood test to screen for exposure to the AIDS virus.

Sen. Paul Simon, D-Ill., and DeKalb County Clerk Terry Desmond are questioning the new law, which Desmond said can add from $20 to $70 to a couple’s premarital expenses.

In a Jan. 27 press release, Simon stated Illinois is giving the country an example of how not to test for aids.

Illinois and Louisiana are the only states that require AIDS testing before issuing marriage licenses.

“There was a long waiting list already for those who really want to be tested. Dropping thousands of low-risk individuals into that situation invites chaos. And that is what we have,” Simon’s release stated.

“I can only hope that other states will realize how counterproductive this approach is and concentrate their testing where it will do the most good,” he said.

Desmond noted the number of marriage licenses issued in Cook County dropped from 2,000 couples in January 1987 to less than 600 in January 1988.

“We don’t know if the test is the reason for the drop. We’re hoping that by spring the state health statistics will say whether the test is worth it or not,” Desmond said.

He also said some doctors are refusing to administer AIDS tests for fear of giving individuals the wrong results, or “false-positives.”

“There are a high number of false-positives in Illinois. Lots of doctors are afraid of that,” Desmond said.

Desmond said some couples cross the Illinois border to avoid the AIDS test and the fees involved.

He also questioned the new law, saying, “There are groups other than newlyweds to test.

The state should re-evaluate the law. Your fiancee has been put under a lot of pressure if a doctor gives you a false-positive,” Desmond said.

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health estimate about 3.8 million people nationwide plan to marry each year, and the potential cost for screening, confirmatory testing and counseling of that population would exceed $100 million annually, Simon’s press release stated.

The same researchers said 9,000 of the 3.8 million people screened would test positive on a screening test, but only 1,200 infected people would show up positive on second confirmatory tests, the release stated.