Paternity Testing Impacts on Birth Rate

Paternity testing it’s been argued has an impact on fertility. Why? If you consider in the seventies Elvis Presley was said to have a morbid fear of paternity suits, imagine how he must have felt if paternity DNA testing was widely available. Parental testing means men can no longer get away with impregnating women – usually by mistake – and avoiding responsibility. One academic research paper suggests that countries that use paternity DNA testing experience a drop in pregnancy rates of around 8 to 12%.

There’s No Escape with DNA Testing

It’s a biological fact that men can not be 100% sure if their offspring is in fact theirs – that is until the invention of paternity DNA testing. Before the availability of such tests, there would always be that element of doubt. And before DNA paternity testing, there was always a lower risk for men when it came to sex. In modern history, the development of contraception and absence of paternity testing meant biological fathers could often hold another partner as responsible. Say for example a woman had an affair outside marriage; her lover could feasibly continue the affair without worrying about whether or not he’d end up fathering a child. Without a paternity DNA test, there would be no way to prove it was his.

DNA Paternity Testing Revolutionized Child Welfare

This type of test has revolutionized child welfare and care. Now, it’s harder for absent fathers to be absent, and harder for men to have sexual liaisons without taking responsibility. The 20th century at once made it easier for couples to have sex without worrying about producing unwanted children, thanks to contraception. But it also made it harder for men to get away with ‘mistakes’ or not taking responsibility for unwanted children because of the availability and reliability of this type of test.

Impact on Sexual Behaviour

It’s reasonable therefore to presume that testing for paternity does impact on sexual behaviour and child welfare issues. And that it can play a part in reducing unwanted pregnancy by means of preventative measures and awareness. The cost of unwanted children is high – emotionally and financially – and when the test is widely available, the biological father is accountable to pay child support. Although the test was developed in 1925 it was the discovery of DNA and the development of the paternity DNA test that really changed society. DNA paternity testing is 99.99% certain and can be used as evidence in court when it comes to child welfare disputes.