Using Paternity Testing Fighting Fraud

Parenthood can be a joyous but difficult time. It can help forge relationships and it can also drive a wedge between couples. Having a child means you can’t afford to act like a child yourself – those carefree days are gone. The responsibility – emotionally and financially – of being a parent is on-going and the rewards are clear. But when a relationship doesn’t work out it can feel like an on-going battle. Especially in those cases where the mother lied about who the biological father of her child really was.

DNA Paternity Testing – Complex and Intense

This paternity fraud can come out during the breakdown of a relationship when intense emotions are being flung around. If a man has dedicated the primary years of his child’s life believing that child to be his, but then through DNA testing discovers that the child is not his, it can wreck lives. The emotions can be intense and complex and can include anger, bitterness and mourning. Legal action and court battles can make such negative emotions even more entrenched.

The Emotional Scars

Paternity testing can reveal how marriages and relationships built on a lie can be ultimately devastating for all concerned. There’s no denying the depth of the emotional scars of uncovering the truth that a child thought to be your own isn’t biologically yours. And for the child, paternity DNA testing can lead to psychological damage and even impact on their own ability to trust and form healthy relationships in the future. Many believe that the legal system hasn’t caught up with the fallout of paternity testing. Often in cases where a man has already accepted parental responsibility, he has to continue paying child support, even if testing shows he’s not the biological parent. The feelings of rage, impotence and bitterness this can evoke are debilitating.

Paternity Testing is Changing Society

In America, DNA testing is doubling the number of men who are finding out the truth. Many campaigning and pressure groups in America believe the legal system needs overhauling. Equality and civil rights have always been deemed important in America -the bedrock of what America is built on. And although there have been great advances in child welfare issues since the introduction of DNA testing for paternity, there is also room for improvement in dealing with the emotional and financial fall-out paternity testing can cause.