If there is something more painful than the loss of a child, I have yet to find out what it is. I mean ask any loving parent what the most cherished thing in their life is, and I promise you, they will say “my child”. And yet the tragic loss of child custody is something countless many fathers endure every day across the world. I am not a parent. But I have spoken to fathers fighting for their sons and daughters, and I have never met a group of people so desperate, broken, and yet forever determined. I have also spoken to fathers that have found out a child they have raised, loved, and treated as their own, is in fact, the child of another man. I’ve seen that heart beak too. Rates of false paternity are extremely hard to pin down, for a multitude of reasons, but a good estimate will be around one in 25 fathers is raising a child he thinks is his, which isn’t. That might seem low, but even a 1% rate of false paternity, scales up to millions of broken fathers and families, across America. Yet there is very little public will to address this, or at least, nothing beyond tacky reality TV shows that use such heartbreak for views. Having given birth to the child, a mother’s paternity is never in doubt, but sadly a father’s can be. In some countries, such as France, it has become illegal to have a private DNA test – punishable by a €15,000 fine, and up to one year in prison. So how do we fix this? Should fathers be entitled to paternity tests? Should those who intentionally commit paternity fraud be subject to criminal prosecution? Knowledge about paternity can be empowering. It can reassure an uncertain father, or vindicate a mother. It can help a child understand who they are and where they come from. So should new fathers be entitled to paternity tests? What do you think? ~ [1] [2][3]  Images by Rachel Mcdermott, Ravi Avalla, Derek Owens, Gradienta. #fathersrights #parenting #childcustody #childcustodyissues #paternitycourt

2023-07-14