Woman Discovers She Isn't Her Daughter's Real Mum

Ananova ^ | 6-18-2003

[blam]

Woman discovers she isn't her daughter's real mum

A Brazilian woman who took a DNA test to prove the identity of her daughter's father was shocked to find out she wasn't her real mother.

Tereza Menas and her former boyfriend took DNA tests because her nine-year-old daughter wanted her father's name on her birth certificate.

But when the tests came back the results said neither were the girl's biological parents. Two further tests gave the same result.

It's now believed staff at the Santa Casa Hospital, where she had her baby in 1994, may have swapped Mrs Menas' baby for another one born on the same day.

All parents who had baby girls born on the same day at the hospital have now been contacted so the mystery can be solved.

Mrs Menas, of Mato Grosso do Sul, told Jornal Nacional: "I want to meet my biological daughter but I am afraid that my daughter's biological mother would want to take her from me. I would never do that, I would never swap the girls back."

Story filed: 15:13 Wednesday 18th June 2003

[blam]

Who says the woman is the only one who knows for sure? Sometimes you may not want to know.

[DoughtyOne]

At this point making contact is questionable to me. It might be best to let things well enough alone.

[blam]

"At this point making contact is questionable to me. It might be best to let things well enough alone."

That was my first thought too...unless I was the child, I would always want to know my real parents.

[The Hon. Galahad Threepwood]

A Brazilian woman who took a DNA test to prove the identity of her daughter's father....

And that would work how?

[fifteendogs]

I worry that someday I may have to take a DNA test only to find out that I am not me.

[DoughtyOne]

I think that's reasonable too. What a creepy mess. You couldn't keep it a secret from the child either.

I don't know, I might have. Just tell her this was her father, if they were close and let her die thinking she was their child.

I might take heat for that, but children need affirmation more than anything else. If she'd have never known it would never have been an issue.

Is that mean?

[blam]

"Is that mean?"

I don't think so.

[apackof2]

worry that someday I may have to take a DNA test only to find out that I am not me.

don't bother to take the test you are not you

[BlueNgold]

Bad (and Old) Joke, but I'll repeat it anyway:

What did the (Blonde, Sorority Girl, Beauty Queen, J-A-P ... feel free to insert your own social torture victim) say when the Dr. told her she was pregnant?

Are you sure it's mine?
[Ba-Dat-Dah, someone, anyone, gimme a rim-shot!]

[CobaltBlue]

Until recently DNA paternity testing required samples from both putative parents and the child. These days you can get a less accurate test with samples from just the putative father and the child - it's accurate to 98% plus. The old test is accurate to 99.9% plus.

I am aware of only one other case where the putative mother turned out not to be the mother. It was here in Virginia, the children were born at the UVA hospital in Charlottesville. What a mess.

[The Hon. Galahad Threepwood]

Until recently DNA paternity testing required samples from both putative parents and the child.

Ah, OK. Having managed hitherto to avoid involvement in any paternity tests, I didn't know that.

[GATOR NAVY]

Guess I won't be saying "Mama's baby, Papa's maybe" to my wife anymore when my kids do something stupid.

[Hildy]

Remember that girl in Florida? Kimberly Maize, or something? It totally screwed her up.

[NewRomeTacitus]

She shouldn't worry too much about it. My birth parents, the Cuckoos, let several other foster families raise me. This let me realize that I could set a better example by not attaching importance to the traditional concepts of "good breeding" and "inherited behavior". I'm free to pursue my own interests without any "family tradition" (or curse) dogging me. I'll attend funerals for people I really care about and happily continue paying for the benefits children deserve in this great republic while not procreating myself. I defy the "Grand Design" out of refusal to be a slave to any person, concept or political party. My companions are true and my enemies obvious.
She will be fine if she has a chance to grow up without other people's preconceptions. (Sorry about the length, this was personal.)

[Physicist]

Things like this will become more common with the rise of do-it-yourself genetic genealogy.

[mlmr]

Your real parents are the ones who raise you. Your biological parents are the ones who created you.

[Jhoffa_]

This is an interesting reversal on the cheating spouse who comes up pregnant.

Now you have both mother and father asking themselves: "Is that my kid?"

[drhogan]

but it would be better for you to know the truth, even if it is upsetting at first.