It’s long been whispered that some 10% of paternity allocations are wrong. The Mum’s been playing away and that young sproglet isn’t in fact the child of who she says it is. We’re now gaining confirmation of this through the spread of DNA testing. Which is interesting, isn’t it?
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]One person in 10 is mistaken about the identity of their father, reveals NHS chief[/perfectpullquote]This is from tests they’re actually undertaking. So it’s hard evidence, not supposition.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] One person in 10 is mistaken about the identity of their father, genetic tests for hereditary illnesses are revealing, according to an NHS chief. The era of genomic medicine is allowing doctors to screen rising numbers for preventative action against diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s. About 220,000 such tests are carried out by the NHS in England and Scotland each year. But Ian Cumming, head of Health Education England, the NHS training body, said hospitals were being left in an ethical quandary as they were uncovering some awkward family secrets. It is currently estimated that around 4 per cent of the population are unaware the man they call their father is not their true biological relative. [/perfectpullquote]One obvious explanation is that this is tests done to determine paternity. Thus the high rates, as it is already in doubt. But this isn’t the case:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“But it is not without controversy,” he warned. “If you look at people who have had genetic tests within families for reasons other than trying to work out paternity, for one in 10 people your dad isn’t who you think it is.”[/perfectpullquote]Ah, so it’s not that, no.
Which is very interesting indeed isn’t it?
Rather good proof that there’s a certain Battle of the Sexes going on. Whether this should be so in our age or not it is true that it’s the man who largely supports the nuclear family. It is the woman and her children who largely gain the support of the man. The deal being, obviously enough, that the bloke thinks he’s raising his children. That’s why he carries the costs, bears the burden.
And yet cheating – not in the bonking sense, but in the larger one here, of fooling the bloke into carrying costs which aren’t his – is rife.
In other words, sure, there are deadbeat Dads out there, those who don’t pay for the support of their children. And thus the CSA or whatever it’s called today. But there’s also 10% of the entire population being raised the other way. At the cost of those whose they aren’t.
When do we get a government agency to sort all that out? Even to think of the idea is to know that it’ll never happen. The interesting bit being, well, why not, why wouldn’t it happen?
Men should carry the cost of raising their children. Fair enough. Men shouldn’t carry the cost of raising their not children. Why isn’t that equally important? And isn’t it wondrous evidence of the patriarchy we suffer under that it isn’t?
I’ve never understood this obsession with finding your biological father. If it turned out not to be my dad (in my case, an event roughly as likely as being struck by a falling meteorite), it would make no difference to my relationship with the man who nurtured and loved me.
Stuprum is the Roman word for a woman palming off a bastard on her husband.
I’m not my children’s biological father but I’m the one they call when they need money and that makes me their dad.