Bills could end child support payments from men who aren't biological dads

MLIVE.com ^ | The Associated Press

[BuddhaBoy]

DETROIT (AP) -- A package of bills sitting in a state Senate committee could free men from paying child support for children they did not father.

The proposals also would penalize a mother who deceives a man into believing he is the biological father of her child.

Traverse City dentist Damon Adams is pushing legislators to vote the bills -- passed last year by the state House -- into law.

Shortly after the end of his 25-year marriage, DNA tests proved Adams was not the father of the fourth child born to he and his wife.

"It was the worst feeling I've ever had to go through in my life," he told the Detroit Free Press for a Monday story.

Adams presented the DNA evidence to a judge, but was told to continue paying child support, which amounts to more than $18,000 a year.

He said the proposed legislation is in the best interest of children, who have a right to know their medical history.

"When something like this happens, the best way to heal is for the truth to come out," he said.

But Amy Zaagman, chief of staff for the chair of the state Senate Committee on Families, Mental Health and Human Services, said the bills -- which would allow men to keep parenting time with children -- raise serious questions.

"Here's someone who had a relationship with the child, established some responsibility for the child ... yet now he doesn't want to be responsible any more but wants parenting time?" she asked. "How does that benefit the child?"

Zaagman said committee Chairwoman Sen. Beverly Hammerstrom, R-Temperance, does not oppose the bills' concept, but has legal concerns.

For example, when a man who is not married signs paternity papers, he waives his right to a DNA test. If the man has any doubts, he should raise them before signing, not years later, Zaagman said.

John Ruff, 29, of Grand Rapids, said he believed his ex-girlfriend when she told him she was pregnant with his child more than eight years ago. So he signed the paternity papers, started paying child support and scheduled visitations.

Ruff requested a DNA test only after hearing rumors that the child was not his. Like Adams, Ruff presented evidence that he was not the father to a judge. He also was told to continue paying child support.

"I hate to say it, but the whole part where I went wrong was the part where I tried to stand up and be a man and take responsibility for what I thought was my daughter," said Ruff, who added that he has not seen the child since 1998.

"I should have been a jerk and tried to protest what (my ex-girlfriend) was saying."

Meri Anne Stowe, chairwoman of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan, said she can sympathize with men in such situations, but is more concerned about the children involved.

"We don't want to illegitimize a whole class of children, and we don't want to impoverish a whole class of children," Stowe said. "We have to look at the greater good."

[Skywalk]

Pay her no mind, BB. Perhaps her psychoanalysis of you could be forgiven but in responses to other posters, she has taken no less a jovial mood. This is funny to her, you see. Apparently she has no understanding of the extreme evil involved in not only cheating on a man, but lying to him about the paternity of a child he has taken as his.

SHe distracts by talking about recouping all previous child support payments from the mother, when most of us are simply saying the mother should be punished CRIMINALLY and the father should have no further obligation to the child.

Apparently, it's of greater import to her to make fun of "cuckolded" husbands(I've not been married or cheated upon, so what is she talking about?) than to address a very serious issue in our culture and legal system.

As Paulie Walnuts described Minn Matrone, "She's a malignant c--t."

[Skywalk]

Oh, and you speak of animus. Are we wrong to have animus towards Al Qaeda or Nazis or Communists? We can identify the whys and whats of their evil, but in the end we also have great anger or hatred towards them. Is this wrong?

In many ways, cheating and then passing another man's child off to someone you claimed to love and cheris is a greater sin than killing strangers who don't share your beliefs.

[nicmarlo]

"Give it to I" would cause heads to turn.

I think in an English class, one may assume "Give it to I" would cause heads to roll. : )

[jimkress]

This is just another form of prostitution. Normally prostitutes get their money up front. In these cases the postitutes wait until after child birth.

[BuddhaBoy]

I saw BB's first thread and thought, "What, again?" but decided to Let it Be. Even when I encountered his plans to start a new site called "Dontmarryher.com". Then another thread! Curiosity beckoned. Just what inspires such energy?

Listen, you busy-body, it was all the apparent interest in this subject on Free Republic that inspired me to create a web site, not the other way around. I decided after all the flames and anger my comments generated, that perhaps I had come across a great idea for a discussion forum. When the site is finished, and you are over your snide remarks and accusations, I hope that you will go there and learn something.

[BuddhaBoy]

You are right, but that woman has a personal agenda against me, which is fine, but stupid all the same. Somehow, my comments offend her, but I think she is just an attention-whore, purposly flaming me because it is the only way she gets paid any attention to. I couldnt care less, but I wont let her mischaracterize my motives.

[BuddhaBoy]

Several years later, after he had married someone else and had a family of his own, he got hit for child support payments by the state. DNA tests proved he was not the father but it was to late. State law had already declared him the father and responsible for supporting the child. He was forced to take money from his own family and pay for a child that was no relation to him.

A horror story that every fertile man is in danger of reliving. It's a crime.

[John D]

Good point. I have another. Through their argument the person that is proven to be innocent of a crime through DNA, should be required to stay in prison. Somebody has to pay for the crime.

[Myrddin]

The DA's office has people assigned to handle claims of mistaken identity. The person that handled my claim was very thorough and professional. It took 6 weeks because she had 1000 pending cases to investigate.

I provided detailed identification, pictures, job history, residence history. I even tracked down the real respondant using web searches and a few carefully worded phone calls. The custodial mom verified that I was not her ex-husband. I received a letter of apology from the DA's office.

An additional pain in the experience was that I had just received a layoff notice via FedEx overnight. I barely had that envelope opened when the postman brought the two registered letters that turned out to be lawsuits. It was a truly wonderful day :-(

[monday]

"I prefer an all-or-nothing approach. If the man does not want to undertake any financial responsibility for the child, then he should not have any paternal rights."

What about this? Make support payments at say $4-5 per hour of custody in his care? Would be a lot better than what many men get now. No visitation rights but still have to pay child support.

[monday]

"But you do clutter up the boards with this pony. Why don't you explain why you like to make it do tricks?"

Because it entertains people like you. You wouldn't be here otherwise.

[monday]

"This is just another form of prostitution. "

Except prostitutes are honest.

[AnnaZ]

"We don't want to illegitimize a whole class of children, and we don't want to impoverish a whole class of children," Stowe said. "We have to look at the greater good."

 

Easy there, Comrade Stowe.

 

 

But, yikes! Isn't this quote, and position, completely illustrative of the Left as a whole? The legislation of prevarication and the blind trampling of individuals on the road to a mythical brotherhood based on mandatory affiliation.

 

(Not, of course, like it hasn't been attempted before...)

[jimkress]

BUMP!

[knak]

but I wont let her mischaracterize my motives.

Please don't, she's tried everything she can too. Obviously she's not winning. Just breeding more contempt for her own kind. I gave up on her hours ago. Her and her viniagrette!

[dcwusmc]

BUMP for JUSTICE

[BuddhaBoy]

I'll second a justice bump.

[TigersEye]

Good thread. I wasn't even aware that this legal phenomena existed. It stinks! Don't let the harpies get you down. ; )

[childlessmother]

4 years ago my husband was in another country when his brother got a girl pregnant and the when the child was born the mother forged his signiture on a paper saying that he took the baby as his. Now 200 dollars gets taken out of his check each week for a kid he has never seen and did not sign the papers for i think the bill should be passed because it is not right for us to pay because she lied.