₦airaland Forum

In the past few months Nigerians have been waking up to read the news about paternity fraud whereby a woman impregnated by a sidecock deliberately transfers the pregnancy to her husband/boyfriend. Most of these cases usually end up in tears and in some cases blood.

While many have been passing across scary statistics about the incidence, said to be 3 in every 10 births, it appears there are no rigorously procured statistics to back this claim. But most Nigerians believe the incidence is on the high and very high side.

And you can depend on any discussion on paternity testing to bring a sharp divide between the genders with several Nigerian women choosing to view it as their men passing a vote of no confidence on them. A woman is likely to say, "That shows he doesn't trust and his request for a paternity testing would mean the end to our relationship." While the men are likely to reply with, "Before nko? Good riddance to bad rubbish. Test or get the fvck out of my life." Both genders often tacitly agree that paternity testing, and not just the fraud, holds the possibility to end the marriage.

But should this issue be this way? Is it true that paternity fraud can be explained by baby swap especially in cases where the child shares the woman's DNA? Does a woman deserve to die just because of paternity fraud especially when men impregnating other women outside of their immediate relationship don't also get murdered? Should a man end his life because of paternity fraud? Should the trajectory of the children's life be so readily tragically re-ordered because of it? And should the country criminalize paternity fraud and treat it as gender violence?

Several open questions remain, many of which will not be answered unless the country and different states evolve laws to manage this grown explosion. Such laws should consider managing the need for the woman's consent with the man's right to find out if the child is biologically his. And these have to be balanced against the interest of the child. A better and more practical way to achieve this balance is to incorporate paternity and maternity testing as a compulsory part of hospital delivery services.

In other words, right at birth samples should be taken from both parents and the child and paternity and maternity testing performed. This has the benefit of drastically reducing the twin evil of child swap and paternity fraud. Secondary benefits include the fact that the sense of loss felt by the husband/boyfriend will be low compared to when he has spent his life getting psychologically attached to and raising another's kid. This should help the society in managing men with latent criminal insanity. With maternity/paternity testing becoming basic part of postnatal care, more women will be forced to reveal in some way the identity of the father even before delivery. In fact, more of them out of the fear of impending shame may voluntarily choose to end the scam of a relationship with their visible partner.

However, the country will need to figure out a way to reduce the associated testing cost, and a good start will be to evolve maternity insurance with mandatory widespread applicability for all expecting mothers.

It is time to evolve and stem the worrisome fall outs of paternity testing.

Lalasticla, Seun, Mynd44, RoyalRoy please help push this discussion. Yours truly.

We need shock absorber before introducing this law.

pmoye:
Several open questions remain, many of which will not be answered unless the country and different states evolve laws to manage this grown explosion. Such laws should consider managing the need for the woman's consent with the man's right to find out if the child is biologically his. And these have to be balanced against the interest of the child. A better and more practical way to achieve this balance is to incorporate paternity and maternity testing as a compulsory part of hospital delivery services.

In other words, right at birth samples should be taken from both parents and the child and paternity and maternity testing performed. This has the benefit of drastically reducing the twin evil of child swap and paternity fraud. Secondary benefits include the fact that the sense of loss felt by the husband/boyfriend will be low compared to when he has spent his life getting psychologically attached to and raising another's kid. This should help the society in managing men with latent criminal insanity. With maternity/paternity testing becoming basic part of postnatal care, more women will be forced to reveal in some way the identity of the father even before delivery. In fact, more of them out of the fear of impending shame may voluntarily choose to end the scam of a relationship with their visible partner.

Perfect solution there,but until then, niggas better keep doing paternity tests for their peace of mind. And you don't need her consent or it becomes a court case if she resists, then a judge will order it.

Good that we already have one in the presidency.

Carchoice:
We need shock absorber before introducing this law.

Romangalactic:
Perfect solution there,but until then, niggas better keep doing paternity tests for their peace of mind. And you don't need her consent or it becomes a court case if she resists, then a judge will order it.

[quote

Such laws should consider managing the need for the woman's consent with the man's right to find out if the child is biologically his

.[/quote]When I read that part...I felt angry! The man's right to find out if the child is biologically his must be his prerogative...the cheating woman has no right to negate that.

You already assumed the woman has cheated even before the test result. The law doesn't make such an assumption in the first place, and that's why knowing for a man is a right and nothing more. But that needs to be balanced by another law in laboratory medicine practice that provides the individual from whom sample is to be taken and test performed to give consent for that. The woman's DNA sample will be needed and there goes her need for consent. Given that consent is her right too.

You have to recognize that it isn't every time that a man alleges infidelity that the child turns out to be another's. Even if we are to assume that there's 30% case of paternity fraud (and that's a big IF), it also means that in 6 out of 10 children tested will biological belong to him. Should we then because of the 30% construct an iron-prerogative for the man to overrule the right of the woman to provide consent? What happens in the 60% cases where the child turns out to be his? Will a simple apology from him suffice?

These are fundamental questions that have to be answered. And in my opinion the best way to avoid all the drama is to make paternity/maternity test a basic part of delivery. By so doing we will simply reduce the whole thing to a set of forms to fill and samples to be taken from both parents at delivery. Making this a basic requirement for delivery immediately sets aside the conflict of rights. And when a woman understands that this indeed will be a part of her delivery care by law, she will not likely commit paternity fraud, and the hospitals are not likely to swap babies.

descartes400:
.

When I read that part...I felt angry! The man's right to find out if the child is biologically his must be his prerogative...the cheating woman has no right to negate that.

descartes400:
When I read that part...I felt angry! The man's right to find out if the child is biologically his must be his prerogative...the cheating woman has no right to negate that.

She doesn't have a right to refuse and it can be done without her consent but results will not be admissible in a court assuming it's an issue of child support or inheritance. Only court ordered DNA test is valid for legal proceedings.

But for peace of mind, men should do it on their own and satisfy their curiosity. Very easy

Make sure your faithful wife doesnt know that you're conducting a paternity test, if not.......


And always know the possibility of birth switch, it happens.

The possibility of birth switch is exactly the error that such testing will eliminate. That said, we cannot speak of birth switch when the child has the mother's DNA but not the father's in which case we can conclude the father was not the impregnator.

Biglittlelois:
Make sure your faithful wife doesnt know that you're conducting a paternity test, if not.......


And always know the possibility of birth switch, it happens.

pmoye:
The possibility of birth switch is exactly the error that such testing will eliminate. That said, we cannot speak of birth switch when the child has the mother's DNA but not the father's in which case we can conclude the father was not the impregnator.

Alright.

Way forward

[quote author=pmoye post=91014967]You already assumed the woman has cheated even before the test result. The law doesn't make such an assumption in the first place, and that's why knowing for a man is a right and nothing more. But that needs to be balanced by another law in laboratory medicine practice that provides the individual from whom sample is to be taken and test performed to give consent for that. The woman's DNA sample will be needed and there goes her need for consent. Given that consent is her right too.

You have to recognize that it isn't every time that a man alleges infidelity that the child turns out to be another's. Even if we are to assume that there's 30% case of paternity fraud (and that's a big IF), it also means that in 6 out of 10 children tested will biological belong to him. Should we then because of the 30% construct an iron-prerogative for the man to overrule the right of the woman to provide consent? What happens in the 60% cases where the child turns out to be his? Will a simple apology from him suffice?

These are fundamental questions that have to be answered. And in my opinion the best way to avoid all the drama is to make paternity/maternity test a basic part of delivery. By so doing we will simply reduce the whole thing to a set of forms to fill and samples to be taken from both parents at delivery. Making this a basic requirement for delivery immediately sets aside the conflict of rights. And when a woman understands that this indeed will be a part of her delivery care by law, she will not likely commit paternity fraud, and the hospitals are not likely to swap babies.

I agree.

Romangalactic:
She doesn't have a right to refuse and it can be done without her consent but results will not be admissible in a court assuming it's an issue of child support or inheritance. Only court ordered DNA test is valid for legal proceedings.

But for peace of mind, men should do it on their own and satisfy their curiosity. Very easy

Very well noted.

You should test yourself first na. I mean, your dad may have been duped too

Welcome, our silly little bas.tard.

Good! I concur. But while at it, endeavor to educate Men on child/gender discrimination, Child sex formation ( X and Y chromosome), Rhesus factors (D+,D-) and finally Male infertility. Because most women are pushed into paternity fraud when they aren't the ones with the issues in the first place.

Not a bad idea

Na real “side-cockk”!

....makes sense but I heard its quite expensive and TAT is a bit lengthy. New dad may have bonded before result comes out after one week

sisisioge:
....makes sense but I heard its quite expensive and TAT is a bit lengthy. New dad may have bonded before result comes out after one week

Good Morning

FortifiedCity:
Good Morning

Se ko si? Good morning to you too fa

sisisioge:
Se ko si? Good morning to you too fa

Ko si jare. I dreamt about you last night

FortifiedCity:
Ko si jare. I dreamt about you last night

Awww...the world truly revolves around you

sisisioge:
Awww...the world truly revolves around you

Around both of us you mean...Yes

Clowns!

Most Nigerian "men" cannot even afford to pay for health center bills, they run around begging for money when their wives put to bed even in this 2020 some women still give birth in unhygienic,unsafe, "maternity houses" most of them cannot even afford to pay for CS and you think they can pay for DNA test?! Is it not this same Nigeria that "men" still abandon their wives in hospitals for months after they put to bed.

compare one week bonding with 10 years, or 25 years bonding.

sisisioge:
....makes sense but I heard its quite expensive and TAT is a bit lengthy. New dad may have bonded before result comes out after one week