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The need for paternity tests is not rare

On Behalf of | Feb 15, 2012 | Paternity

When some think of paternity tests, they might think of the scandalous TV show Maury, in which he’s always consoling distraught mothers over their fears that they have identified the wrong man as the father of their children. But the need to verify paternity doesn’t just exist in the daytime TV world.

A company responsible for a paternity test that people can buy from drugstores has compiled some statistics regarding the need for their product and other paternity tests in the country. Questions about the true identity of a child’s biological father might not be as uncommon as you think.

A survey revealed the following numbers regarding the emotional family matter:

  • 12 percent of men claim that a time has come up when a paternity test was appropriate
  • 10 percent of women claim that a time has come up when a paternity test was appropriate
  • 20 percent of those surveyed claim that they know someone who has had questions about the identity of a child’s father

Identifying the biological father of a child can be stressful and emotional. Some men might already be attached to a child and to the idea that they are the father and taking a paternity test is the necessary step toward finding the truth. If the result is positive, then a father can use it as support to solidify his parental rights.

Of course, there are also cases when it’s the mother seeking paternity answers, likely because she needs to know who to legally target for child support. In either case, a paternity test is a way for parents to move forward with trying to get their family lives in order and to take care of their children.

Source

msnbc.com: “Paternity questions plague 1 in 10, DNA test firm says,” JoNel Aleccia, Feb. 7, 2012

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