This, coming from a state that's already many million dollars in debt. Good job, TN legislature. None of you are getting my vote next election. You've all proven to be useless one way or the other.

/Maybe McDonald's will hire you?

Based on all the child support horror stories I've read, I can't see why this would be stupid. Other than the cost, it doesn't seem that bad.

That would make great television. Just set up your cameras outside the clinic and capture the moment where the doctor confirms--or denies--paternity. I can see it now.

Stupid? This is a heck of an idea. This would prevent men from being forced to pay child support for kids that aren't theirs (for example, when a husband has to pay for a kid that isn't his).

Unconscionable breach of privacy. The state has absolutely no right to force themselves into your family dynamics in this way. I don't care how much paternity suits cost the state, this is NOT the way to fix the problem.

There used to be a billboard ad here that said "Trying to figure out your baby daddy?" and a phone number for paternity testing. Sometimes my city makes me sad.

Oh Hell Yes. It's time to set the cuckolds free.

Somewhere around 30% of children are not the genetic offspring of the men that raise them.

I personally know 3 men in this situation.

One was told by his mother that he was really the son of the plumber they use, not the man that raised him. When you look at him, and his 'dad', you can see this. That did a bit of a job on him, you can bet on that.

One has a daughter he is raising, after a divorce. Strange that he says he does not remember having sex with his still-then-wife during the entire year before the daughter was born. Props to him for raising her, even with doubts, rather than leaving her to the Ex. He's one of the most decent guys I know.

One had a wife that got pregnant while they were separated and tried to claim to a judge that the resulting twins were his. She even farked him right after she had her fling with the other guy to try to make it look like he could be the father.
My buddy had a vasectomy years ago, they can't be his, paternity tests confirmed this. She now gets child support from TWO guys. My buddy, and the poor sap that fathered the twins. You can bet the wife of the twins dad wasn't happy with that either.

In all these cases the woman KNEW the kids had other fathers, but kept quiet and tried to have their husband bear the costs. The real father gets away with having someone else bear his responsibilities and burdens, and decent guys get hosed.


I have seen this and heard of this too often for this legislation to NOT be needed.

Old link to old story: Moms little secret (new window)

This is the biggest reason women were always locked away by men throughout history. Fear of raising another mans offspring.

It's about time this was the rule, not the exception.

Given the punitive nature of child support and inability to retract a voluntary declaration of paternity, I can't really object to the law.

FTA: "I don't think they should have to prove who the father is."

If you want him to bear the cost you godamwell better 'have to'.

It's discriminatory! Why wouldn't they require maternity tests also? She could have just been holding it for someone else.

Agree to this 100%

/For great Justice

Paternity is a big deal in my life. First because I bang a lot of skanks. Second because I represent kids in all sorts of court proceedings.

Issues of paternity are difficult in Illinois because of the presumptions that arise against the father under Illinois law. So, for example, if you sign a voluntary acknowledgement of paternity at the hospital, you can be stuck paying child support even if there is a paternity test that proves that you are the father. A name on the birth certificate and an admission of paternity can sometimes be enough for you to surrender a child for adoption, even when the real birth father may be still out there and unaware. And many proceedings in abuse and neglect cases are impossible against fathers because we have no idea who they are.

The cost of such testing would be nominal compared to the rest of the costs associated with having a child. I'm not so sure this is a bad idea (except for the drama it would cause).

/My skanks deserve to know who their baby daddy is.

Women lie.

Bank on it.

Any law which stops lying cheating women from profiting from some poor sap is totally okay by me.

MacEnvy: Unconscionable breach of privacy. The state has absolutely no right to force themselves into your family dynamics in this way. I don't care how much paternity suits cost the state, this is NOT the way to fix the problem.

The nail has been hit on its head.

There needs to be paternity tests for all kids born out of wedlock. If you have doubts about your wife, then those tests can be done by request. Remember that usually when a child is born in wedlock, it is considered to be a product of the marriage.

An interesting idea, though what happens if you find a family where they brought in a third party to father the child, either because of infertility or consensual cuckoldry?

TomWright:

30% is way on the high side. Look up the study they did on the Sykes families of the UK -- less than 3%, IIRC.

Pocket Ninja: That would make great television. Just set up your cameras outside the clinic and capture the moment where the doctor confirms--or denies--paternity. I can see it now.

I'll tune in to see that.

This is a good idea, but I am not sure it should be done at birth. It might be good to do it when child support is mandated or as birdman,esq notes, when a kid is up for adoption, and when CPS gets involved with the child. Basically, whenever the state gets involved with the kid, there should be a paternity test required.

A birth certificate is an official document and having accurate information on it is important. It seams like a reasonable idea to me if the DNA is not kept after testing.

And 20 years donw the line if the kid commits a crime it's DNA will already be on file. I think that is a fantastic idea

you are ............... not the father. Cue the tearful sprint to backstage to aviod Cletus' dance of victory.

/this has replaced pro wrestling as my secret TV pleasure

friend49: And 20 years donw the line if the kid commits a crime it's DNA will already be on file. I think that is a fantastic idea

donw=down fixed it

This is a bad move. The foundation of the human race is women banging studs and getting some other sap to raise them. Upsetting this delicate balance is going to cause a shiate storm when 1/3rd of babies born are found out to belong to some other dude.

MacEnvy: Unconscionable breach of privacy. The state has absolutely no right to force themselves into your family dynamics in this way. I don't care how much paternity suits cost the state, this is NOT the way to fix the problem.



Looks like MacEnvy's wife is playing with his FARK account.

1) Who is gonna pay for it?

2) How many families that otherwise might have stayed together and helped raise the child will this destroy?

3)How can we ensure that this DNA data isn't being compiled for another reason (OoOooOOO scaaary!) Should we fingerprint them and get a retinal scan and a video profile of them at birth as well?

Sissy's getting very nervous...

What, no fb- references?
I guess none of the old schoolers are up and about yet.

/Bad idea BTW

OneMoreOpinion: 1) Who is gonna pay for it?

2) How many families that otherwise might have stayed together and helped raise the child will this destroy?

3)How can we ensure that this DNA data isn't being compiled for another reason (OoOooOOO scaaary!) Should we fingerprint them and get a retinal scan and a video profile of them at birth as well?

1. Your tax dollars
2. 42
3. Yes

tomWright: Somewhere around 30% of children are not the genetic offspring of the men that raise them

citation needed.

How about mandatory paternity tests for child support claims? That I can get behind.

MacEnvy: Unconscionable breach of privacy. The state has absolutely no right to force themselves into your family dynamics in this way. I don't care how much paternity suits cost the state, this is NOT the way to fix the problem.

If women are all on-board and supportive of the STATE enforcing child support and involving itself in the "family dynamic", then they better get on-board with mandatory paternity testing.

OneMoreOpinion: 2) How many families that otherwise might have stayed together and helped raise the child will this destroy?

And without it, how many fathers would have spent years living a lie and raising someone elses kid? To me, that's a worse outcome than a family splitting up over a paternity issue since in the second case, the woman kinda brought it on herself by trying to pretend the kid belonged to the man she was with...

From TFA:

"I think it's offensive because I am married," Kopp said.

Yes... And the fact that you stood in front of a bunch of people and said some words to your invisible sky wizard means no married women ever, ever, have affairs. EVER!

"Even for women who aren't married, if they want to get a birth certificate, I think that that should be their right. I don't think they should have to prove who the father is."

No. You don't have a right to put down any old name you want without regard to the truth of the matter. The burden of proof is entirely on you. Who else can you reasonably expect to know?

MacEnvy: Unconscionable breach of privacy. The state has absolutely no right to force themselves into your family dynamics in this way. I don't care how much paternity suits cost the state, this is NOT the way to fix the problem.

The state has an interest in preventing all crime, including fraud. Claiming one man is the father when the mother knows that another man is the actual father, or there is the possibility that another man is the father, is fraud which can have dire financial consequences for the unsuspecting man.

Tennessee has a public policy law that states one cannot un-legitimate a child. If some sap was tricked into believing he was the father and signed the birth certificate, he is financially responsible until and unless the identity of the actual biological father can be proved, and that information is usually not forth coming from the women who lied about it in the first place. This has led to thousands of men who were tricked later having to pay child support for a bastard child that is not even his.

I think a way around the privacy concern is to make paternity tests mandatory only if the mother wants to list someone as the father on the birth certificate. If no father's name is listed then there is no possible fraud and no state interest.

The 'Keep your laws off my body' crowd is going to be all over this one. This law-should it become one--will last only until some cheating wife who got kicked to the curb sues the crap out of the state for invasion of privacy or something.

zn0k: tomWright: Somewhere around 30% of children are not the genetic offspring of the men that raise them

citation needed.

You really think a misogynist pig like him is going to have a reliable source? Dude absofarkinglutely hates women, by all indications. Don't bother asking.

zn0k: tomWright: Somewhere around 30% of children are not the genetic offspring of the men that raise them

citation needed.

http://www.canadiancrc.com/articles/Globe_and_Mail_Moms_Little_secret_14DEC02.as px

While it's a breach of privacy, and I'm not really for that, I'm not all for raising somebody else's sperm donation, either.

If women weren't the cheating skanks that they are, and seeing a guy on the side when they're in a nice, stable relationship, then this wouldn't need to be done.

As it is, they're more than willing to Fark Alpha male B and let current hubby A raise it as his.

/Yeah, I've gotten the "Oh, by the way, I have a boyfriend" line afterwards.
//More than once.
///Don't trust women. That is all..

JeffreyScott: zn0k: tomWright: Somewhere around 30% of children are not the genetic offspring of the men that raise them

citation needed.

http://www.canadiancrc.com/articles/Globe_and_Mail_Moms_Little_secret_14DEC02.as px

That story says 10% there ace.

LOL this would ruin more than one marriage... and more than one childhood...

what a surprise. every woman here is against it.

you are ............... not the father. Cue the tearful sprint to backstage to aviod Cletus' dance of victory.

I hate the tearful sprint. If they're going to bring the guy onto TV to accuse him of being the father of their baby, they should be forced to stand there and take in whatever the father wants to say or do in celebration when they're wrong.

Bob Ondeeznuts:

1. Your tax dollars
2. 42
3. Yes


Whew, thanks man, my mind is at ease thanks to your answers to my rhetorical questions.

I suspect there will be a new-found appreciation of a woman's right to choose in Tennessee in the near future.

bonehead800: OneMoreOpinion: 2) How many families that otherwise might have stayed together and helped raise the child will this destroy?

And without it, how many fathers would have spent years living a lie and raising someone elses kid? To me, that's a worse outcome than a family splitting up over a paternity issue since in the second case, the woman kinda brought it on herself by trying to pretend the kid belonged to the man she was with...



Have your parents had a paternity test? How do you know you're not a child that got raised under these circumstances?

inert: you are ............... not the father. Cue the tearful sprint to backstage to aviod Cletus' dance of victory.

/this has replaced pro wrestling as my secret TV pleasure

I always thought how sad it would be when those kids are old enough to watch tv seeing those guys celebrating the fact that they are not the kids father...

/Just an observation
// I can feel my IQ lowering every time I watch Maury

Batewoman: LOL this would ruin more than one marriage woman's meal ticket

FTFY

I don't understand the need for the state to mandate this. If you want a paternity test done now, there's nothing stopping you is there? Except maybe for your wife telling you not to do it. And if you obey her, I can save you $165. It's not yours.

tomWright: Somewhere around 30% of children are not the genetic offspring of the men that raise them.

And of course you can come up with a distinct reference for this?

Mandatory paternity test for every newborn? Please.
Hey...you! Government! Yes...you. Get the fark outta my life.

If I want a test, they are widely available and cheap. If the woman wants the court to make {SomeRandomDude} pay for child support, she should have to provide proof, as in a test, of who the father is.

But each and every newborn? YGBSM.

MacEnvy Unconscionable breach of privacy. The state has absolutely no right to force themselves into your family dynamics in this way.

Sorry, but if you demand that the state issue your spawn a birth certificate, if you demand the power and authority that comes from an official state seal on that certificate, well then you're going to have to accept the responsibility of proving that the document is accurate. The current situation, where a male and female can just walk into a hospital with a baby they might have fished out of a dumpster and we all take their word for it being theirs - that's what I call unconscionable.

Anyway, this is a men's rights issue. We've had about 30 years of women's rights and laws that assume men are criminals (example, the VAWA). Now it's time to level the playing field a bit. To really make things equal, we also need a male equivalent of an abortion: basically, the father gets to have a choice about being a father, just like a woman does. If he says "no" within 9 months of being informed then he's off the hook and nobody can collect child support from him. That would *dramatically* cut down on the number of unwanted children. The current situation, where a child is nothing more than a paycheck, is unconscionable.

Kwisatzhaderach: Batewoman: LOL this would ruin more than one marriage woman's meal ticket

FTFY

Hey just in case you hadn't thought about it - this goes both ways. This will also reveal a lot of MARRIED MEN as being philandering assholes trying to skip out on supporting the offspring they created while pretending to lead saintly lives with their unsuspecting wives. All you cheering for the downfall of women here don't seem to get it - knocking up a woman in Tennessee is now 100% likely to result in child support. Lulz on you.