Paternity Fraud: Baby’s Baby, Daddy’s Maybe
Paternity fraud is one of the many consequences of adultery and infidelity. “Mama’s baby, daddy’s maybe”. Praise the Lord for allowing us to blessed or cursed based on how we follow his rules, found in the Book of Exodus Chapter 20. This article will cover paternity fraud and it’s devastating effects.
“She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.” 😇
Proverbs 18:22 of the King James Version of the Bible
“You are … NOT the father”. You’ve all seen those fun shows like Maury or Jerry Springer. Many of the segments revolve around paternity fraud. The announcements of whether or not the fellas are fathers or not got the crowds hyped. This is a serious matter for people of all walks of life.
What is Paternity Fraud?
Quite simply, paternity fraud is when a mother purposefully and deceptively identifies the wrong, biologically unrelated father based on DNA, as the father of their child. This usually happens when a man signs a birth certificate for a child they’re not related to. This is different from unintentional misattribution, which is an unintentional error such as healthcare workers mixing up babies during fertility treatment. It can happen in many ways, such as
- naming the wrong father on the birth certificate
- manipulation for child support
- tampering with DNA test results
- miscommunication or misunderstanding
Putting the Wrong Name on That Birth Certificate
Having the wrong, biologically unrelated father sign their name on a child’s birth certificate is the main way paternity fraud starts. This is done when registering a child’s birth. The signature on the birth certificate makes it legally binding to a man that’s biologically unrelated to the child.
Manipulation for Child Support
A mother may exploit the presumption of paternity and purposefully commit paternity fraud to secure the bag by getting child support from a man that’s biologically unrelated. Presumption of paternity happens when a biologically unrelated child is born when the mother and biologically unrelated father are married when the child is born.
Miscommunication or Misunderstandings
This happens when a mother genuinely thinks a certain man is the biological dad due to a misinterpretation of information. There’s situations where multiple men could be the father because the mother doesn’t know the biological father.
Tampering with DNA Tests
Sometimes people try to cheat DNA tests to tamper with the DNA test results. If there’s more methods beyond what’s listed below please leave a comment with those methods. Some reported ways that people have attempted to cheat DNA tests include:
- tampering with samples or test swabs
- presenting fake results
- forging signatures during the testing process
- having another man that isn’t the biological father submit a sample
- a mother submitting her own DNA sample instead of the father’s
- using another child that’s related to the father in question to be tested instead of the child in question
- buying free, fake, or unreliable DNA tests from an unlicensed or unaccredited lab
- eating, drinking, or smoking before swabbing their cheeks
- storing another person’s saliva (DNA) in your mouth and providing it as a sample
- spitting on a swab instead of scrubbing the inside of your cheek with it
Garth Harvey wrote a book called “Are You Or, Are You Not The Father?” that details the DNA paternity testing process and how people try to cheat it. Beginning in 2003 he spent over 16 years working as a DNA sample collector.
How Common is Paternity Fraud?
There are many estimates and approximations on the rate of paternity fraud all over the world. The paternity fraud rate for the general population is unknown because not every single person has done one. For this reason there’s an absence of comprehensive official data. There’s also a bias for higher estimates of paternity fraud because clients that do DNA tests are already suspicious. On the other hand, families don’t need to do DNA tests if the father has full confidence about paternity and no reason to be suspicious.
Looking at the information that is available there are many studies done in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Australia. In the United Kingdom and the United States estimates of paternity fraud range widely, from 0.8% to 30%, with the median rate being 3.7%. It’s good to be aware that higher estimates grab headlines and low estimates fade into obscurity. This can differ depending on which demographic group is being looked at.
One of the higher estimates was done found through a study by DNA Clinics between 2014 and 2016. DNA Clinics analyzed 5000 randomly selected results and found that 48% of men tested in the United Kingdom were not the biological father. At the time DNA Clinics was part of the Salford-based BioClinics Group. The company was founded in 2005 by Nichola McChrystal. BioClinics moved to the Old Chapel in Manchester, United Kingdom and is now known as the Crystal Health Group and is well-reviewed, with 4.9 stars from 99 reviews at the time of this post. They’re accredited in the UK and registered through the United Kingdom’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Nichola McChrystal said this about the high paternity fraud estimates: “The statistics are within the realms of what I would expect, due to the fact that I have worked in this industry for well over a decade. I would imagine that they would appear shocking to the general public.”
How People Learn About Paternity Fraud
Paternity fraud usually goes undetected for years. It sometimes comes to light when medical records show that child isn’t related to the man attributed as the father.
Consequences of Paternity Fraud
Currently there are no consequences for mothers that commit paternity fraud in the United States outside of one American state as it is not considered a punishable crime. For fathers there are many consequences: the betrayal of infidelity, the cost of raising children, having no choice over taking on these expenses, the hard work needed to raise kids, and time and money lost raising another man’s kid instead of their own. Things get messy when the state uses either presumption of paternity or the signed birth certificate. A signed birth certificate is used by the state to prove paternity instead of DNA test results to confirm paternity. Presumption of paternity happens when a biologically unrelated child is born when the mother and biologically unrelated father are married when the child is born.
What to Do About Paternity Fraud
You’ll have to get a DNA test ASAP. There are different types of DNA tests, such as legal or non-legal DNA tests. For the most accurate results you’ll want to get a legal DNA test. Make sure of the following:
- the lab doing your DNA test is accredited or licensed
- the results include a phone number, website information, or physical address
- you can confirm details about the company, laboratory, or hospital where the test is being done
Legal DNA Test
A legal DNA test is a way to identify the biological father that is also admissible in court. The lab you work with will follow a strict chain of custody process to ensure accuracy. In addition, the collectors will use tamper-proof cases and a secure courier service to transport the specimen to the lab. They are used in cases related to child support, child custody, paternity fraud suspicions, inheritance, or immigration. It’s done using the following steps:
- DNA samples are collected by a 3rd party certified collector
- DNA samples are then securely transported to accredited laboratory for analysis
- once DNA analysis is done the results are documented and sent to you
Non-Legal Paternity Test
Non-legal DNA tests are also known as “peace of mind” tests. They are not mandatory and are used to confirm that a father is a child’s biological parent without a valid legal reason. It can be done without the mother knowing or being involved. The facility that performs the test may ask for your signature to allow them to analyze the DNA samples. Here’s how it works:
- order yourself a home DNA test kit
- gather the specimen based on the kit’s instructions
- return it to the lab for analysis
- in a few days you will receive an email or sealed document in your mailbox containing the results
- it’s far cheaper than a legal DNA test
Non-Invasive or Prenatal Paternity Tests
Non-invasive or prenatal paternity (NIPP) tests can be done as early as the 7th week of pregnancy. This lets you confirm who the father is nearly immediately after your pregnancy is confirmed. Unlike methods like amniocentesis or a CVS (Chorionic Villus Sampling) test that can cause a miscarriage, a prenatal DNA is completely non-invasive and safe for both mother and fetus.
Tennessee Mandating DNA Tests Before Signing a Birth Certificate
If it wasn’t for a lad in Tennessee calling Tennessee State Rep. Antonio Parkinson, D-Memphis, then Bill HB 2698 would have never been born. Specifically, he learned after five years that he was paying child support for a kid that was not his. This made Parkinson file bill HB 2698 to prevent things like this from happening. This is a contrast from a country like France where DNA testing is banned and illegal. Many countries require the mother to agree for the father to do a DNA test on their kid.
Tennessee took steps to introduce a bill, HB 2698, that states an unmarried man would have to take a DNA test proving paternity before he could sign the voluntary acknowledgement of paternity and have his name on the birth certificate.
Not everybody is happy about this bill, especially the Tennessee Department of Human Services (DHS), which oversees the child support program. They’re fighting hard to kill the bill. Why? Any changes to enforcement rules jeopardize the $52 million in Federal Government funding for its child support enforcement programs. The DHS could possibly get millions more for reaching a quota of 90% acknowledged births, and get another bonus for exceeding that quota. Dang.
Did it pass into law? Nah. It was filed at the beginning of the 2022 legislative session, and passed through one subcommittee before being deferred and placed on the Civil Justive Committee’s calendar three times. The bill was deferred to summer study where it died. The bill was filed in the 112th Tennessee General Assembly, which concluded its business in 2022.
Parkinson filed a bill similar to HB2698 during the 2023 legislative session, under the current 113th Tennessee General Assembly. This is bill HB 253/SB 331 that was was signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee on April 24. The bill states that anyone who identifies someone as the biological father of a child with intent to deprive the actual biological parent from their parental rights is guilty of a crime. This law makes this specific form of fraud a Class B misdemeanor.
How to Not Get Wrecked by Paternity Fraud
Not many people are aware of or even think about something like paternity fraud. King Solomon’s Book of Proverbs in the Bible covers some of the thought processes and character traits that can lead to paternity fraud. Have you ever tested your children using a DNA tests? If so, what were the results? Do you know people that tested the DNA of the children? What did they find? What are your thoughts on the laws around DNA testing? Leave a comment with your answers and be sure to share the content.
