Posted on 08/11/2005 12:40:55 PM PDT by summer
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Perhaps one out of every 25 dads could unknowingly be raising another man's child, a finding that has huge health and social implications, according to report released Wednesday.
Exposing so-called paternal discrepancy -- when a child is identified as being biologically fathered by someone other than the man who believes he is the father -- could lead to family violence and the breakup of many families. On the other hand, leaving paternal discrepancy hidden means having the wrong genetic information, which could have health consequences.
A UK-based research team reviewed scientific research dealing with paternity published between 1950 and 2004 and reports that rates of paternal discrepancy range from less than 1 percent to as much as 30 percent.
The investigation also showed that becoming pregnant at a younger age, low socioeconomic status, and being in a long-term relationship rather than being married seem to be linked to greater likelihood of paternal discrepancy.
It is generally believed that rates of paternal discrepancy are less than 10 percent. A paternal discrepancy rate of 4 percent means that one in 25 families could be affected.
However, soaring rates of paternity testing in North America and Europe means more cases of paternal discrepancy will be identified in the years ahead, Professor Mark A. Bellis, from the Center for Public Health at the Liverpool John Moores University, and colleagues point out in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
In the United States, for example, rates of paternity testing more than doubled between 1991 and 2001. The increasing use of genetic testing for diagnosis and treatment of disease as well as in judicial procedures will also yield more opportunities to uncover cases where a father, unbeknownst to him, is not the biological parent.
"Modern genetic techniques continue to open a Pandora's box on hitherto hidden aspects of human sexual behavior," the investigators write.
Exposing such situations will inevitably affect not only deceived dads but also their family and potentially the biological father. Leaving paternal discrepancy undiagnosed, on the other hand, leaves those affected with incorrect genetic information that could prove harmful.
What's urgently needed, the authors say, is guidance on how and when paternal discrepancy should be exposed.
At present, most cases that are inadvertently identified are ignored by whoever uncovers the situation.
"However, in a society where services and life decisions are increasingly influenced by genetics, our approach to paternal discrepancy cannot be simply to ignore this difficult issue but must be informed by what best protects the health of those affected," Bellis and colleagues argue.
Worse was that this is a military family, and since they had no immediate family nearby, this all had to come out in front of the command and a bunch of people who, although they were (and still are) his shipmates, are essentially strangers. He had to lean on his shipmates and his supervisor (me) for comfort, which couldn't have been easy.
It was terrible to watch, but it had to be worse to endure. Everyone knew, because she made it a point to tell everyone she could to try to humiliate him. Sailors joke about this sort of thing (long deployments and all), but it's quite another thing to face it. We all rallied around him.
The day I heard was also the day I was first told that I would never make a good chief, because my advice to him was to drive home and kill her now. I would swear in court that he was under a lot of mental strain (which he was) and finally snapped. Frankly, I don't think any court in the world would have convicted him.
3 Wives Greet British Man After Surgery
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/11/AR2005081100699_pf.html
Yep; women are evil; men NEVER lie to their wives about the women they cheat with, or the children they've secretely sired.
I've never heard of a woman secretely married simultaneously to more than one man. (That is NOT to say I don't personally know of a case of a woman having three "husbands" simultaneously, but they all knowingly lived together...in Berkeley, CA.
Neither men nor women are necessarily evil; but sluts & whores, and rakes & roues are. And their purveyors and procurors even more so.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1461497/posts?page=54#54
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1461497/posts?page=72#72
I had a relative who pulled this one on her husband, and then got mad at him when he refused to pay child support (family court judge refused to order him to do so as well). I always felt sorry for him.
In some parts of SC it already is.
Brings to mind that scene in Stalag 17. Honey you won't believe it but I found a baby on the steps and she has my eyes........He walks around the barrack saying "I believe it, I believe it.
And don't wait to long to test. - Tom
This article was in the Minneapolis (Minnesota) Star Tribune Tuesday/March7/1995
He is not the father, but must pay support Court: Limitations period ran out.
A Ramsey County man must continue paying child support for a 5 year old child even though paternity tests show that he is not the father, the Minnesota Court of Appeals has ruled.
Eric Dembly Jr. and Ann Christine DeGrande signed a document when the child was born in August 1989 saying that he was the father, His child support was increased to $157 a month as his income rose.
In January 1993, Dembly requested a blood test because DeGrande had told him that he was not the child's father, court records say. The tests concluded that Dembly was not the father.
But in a 2-1 ruling to be filed today, the court said Dembly is still liable for child support because he did not take the blood test until after the three year statute of limitations had expired. The above is a hand-transcription of the first few paragraphs of this story which had an ASSOCIATED PRESS byline.
But your kids will, and not because they doubt their parentage, but precisely because they trust it. They'll do the tests for medical reasons, or (as in my case) for genealogical reasons, or maybe just to see what they're made of. If they doubted you were their father, they might hesitate, for fear of having their suspicions confirmed. But they have no doubts, so they have nothing to fear from the test.
Others, equally sure, have surprises in store.
This has ALWAYS been a problem. That is why the law developed the legal presumption that children born into a marriage are the offspring of the marriage.
Shep Smith just reported this story on his news show on FOX TV tonight. He mentioned that according to the study, these births are not necessarily caused by adultery, but by a pregnancy that was conceived before the marriage. That's what happened in the on e case I know of, but apparently it is not uncommon.
shame and scandal by madness
Whoa is me shame in scandal in the family.
Whoa is me shame in scandal in the family.
In Trinidad there was a family
with much confusion as you will see.
There was a mama and a papa and a boy who was grow
who want to be married have a wife of his own.
he found the young girl
who suiting him nice
he went to his papa to ask his advice.
The Papa said "Son I have to say no
that girl is your sister
but your Mama don't know."
Whoa is me shame in scandal in the family.
Whoa is me shame in scandal in the family.
The week went by and the summer came down
and soon the best cook is the island he found.
He went to his Papa to name the day.
The Papa shook his head and to him he did say
You can't marry this girl I have to say no,this girl is your sister, but your Mama don't know.
Who is me shame in scandal in the family.
Who is me shame in scandal in the family.
The years went by
the boy wished he was dead.
He found seventeen girls and still wasn't wed.
He went to his Papa
his Papa said: "No
those girls are your sisters
but your Mama don't know."
Whoa is me shame in scandal in the family.
Whoa is me shame in scandal in the family.
He went to his Mama and cover his head
he told his Mama what his Papa has said.
His Mma she laughed
and said "Go man go
your Daddy ain't your Daddy
but your Daddy don't know."
Whoa is me shame in scandal in the family.
Whoa is me shame in scandal in the family.
LOL...
They won't necessarily need it. Two brothers either have the same Y chromosome or they don't.
As the old saying goes "Mama's baby, daddy's maybe."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.