Pre-marital medical check-up is important. When Liu Lu got married last winter, she and her husband spent 4,000 yuan ($506) on wedding photos alone but decided to skip pre-marital medical check-ups, which cost about 100 yuan ($12.70). "I was confident we were healthy enough to get married," the 29-year-old secretary said. "And the check-ups imply you don't trust your 'other half'." Since a State Council regulation came into force on October 1, 2003, mandatory pre-marital physical check-ups which started in 1992 became voluntary. And Liu is one of millions who have decided to opt out. Ministry of Health statistics reveal only 2.67 percent of couples went for the check-ups in 2004, while it was 68 percent in 2002. But since then, the rate of birth defects has surged in many regions, a matter of great concern for Chi Baorong, professor at Jilin University's medical college and a veteran CPPCC member. Over the past three years, she has raised proposals to encourage pre-marital medical checks. "The health check is the first line of defense for a couple's happiness," she said. Chen Shouyi, leader of the Zhejiang unit of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, wants to go one step further and reinstate compulsory check-ups. He cited Ningbo in East China's Zhejiang Province as an example. The city's rate of birth defects was 23.1 per thousand last year, an increase of nearly 4 per thousand over the previous three years' average. Ren Yuling, a consultant to the State Council, listed measures taken by some cities to encourage young couples to go for tests before tying the knot; and suggested these practises be promoted widely. Shanghai, for example, provides free check-ups and even unmarried couples enjoy free consultation. Zhu Zonghan, former director of the Beijing Public Health Bureau and a senior paediatrician, lauded the measures. "Many birth defects actually can be avoided if women use supplements of folic acid during pregnancy," he noted. "If in pre-marital medicals they learn this, it would be very helpful for them to have a healthy baby." Chi agrees. She thinks it is not important whether the test is compulsory; instead, awareness about the importance of check-ups is key, she said. 点击查看更多双语新闻 (China Daily)

去年冬天结婚的刘璐夫妇仅拍结婚照就花了4000元，但他们却没做仅需要花费100元左右的婚前医学检查。 这位29岁的女秘书说：“我很自信，我们俩都很健康。做婚检是一种不信任对方的表现。” 自2003年10月1日国务院出台的一项新条例实施后，从1992年开始实行的强制婚检制度即被取消，转变为自愿婚检。刘璐只是逃避婚检的数百万人中的一例。 据卫生部统计，2004年的婚检率仅有2.67%，远远低于2002年的68%。 但新规定实施以来，很多地区的新生儿出生缺陷率大大增长，老政协委员、吉林大学医学院的迟宝荣教授对此深感担忧。 在过去三年中，每年两会她都提交有关鼓励婚前检查的议案。 她说：“婚前健康检查是保障夫妻幸福生活的第一道防线。” 民进浙江省委会领导陈守义建议，在婚检的问题上应更进一步，恢复强制婚检。 他以浙江省宁波市为例做了说明。宁波市去年的新生儿出生缺陷率为23.1‰，比此前三年的平均水平高出近4‰。 国务院顾问任玉岭列举了一些城市为鼓励年轻夫妇进行婚检所采取的一些措施，他建议这些做法应该在全国范围内推行。 比如，上海为新婚夫妇提供免费婚检；未婚情侣甚至也可享受免费咨询服务。 前北京卫生局局长、资深儿科医师朱宗涵对这些措施表示赞同。 他说：“如果妇女在怀孕期间摄入足够的叶酸辅助品，很多出生缺陷完全可以避免。新婚夫妇如果在婚前检查时了解了这一知识，将对他们生下健康宝宝很有帮助。” 迟宝荣教授对这一观点表示同意。她认为，是否实行强制婚检并不重要，认识到婚检的重要性才是关键。 （ 英语点津姗姗编辑）