Paternity testing: a poor test of fatherhood

Abstract

In this paper we argue that there are few morally acceptable justifications for a man to seek a paternity test. The relationship between material responsibility and the burdens generated by the creation of a needy child, means it is not unreasonable for a man to establish that he is responsible for the creation of a child before accepting this financial responsibility. Some men embrace fatherhood irrespective of their involvement in the children's creation and in the absence of a genetic relationship. Others feel differently. Given that parenting is a life-long commitment it is reasonable for those for whom genetics matters to request a paternity test prior to making this commitment.Once a man has become a (moral) father there is no justification for initiating paternity testing, save in the interests of the child. Where the child's interest in knowing his/her genetic origins is unclear we argue this is a decision that can be left for the child to make for him/herself when he/she is sufficiently mature. There is no justification for performing infidelity testing on a child. Because fatherhood is not contingent on genetic relatedness, suspicion of misattributed paternity is no justification for paternity testing.The justifications for, and problems with, paternity testing suggest that it is something men should seek antenatally, at birth or not at all.

Men, maternity and moral residue: negotiating the moral demands of the transition to first time fatherhood

“…Being aware of my own experiences and expectations helped me to avoid asking leading questions during interviews but it was also possible to draw on my own experiences to build rapport, show solidarity and establish trust through reciprocal sharing. Reflexivity was particularly important in the context of this research, given the temptation to focus only on those data that supported my already published opinions (Draper and Ives , ). To help manage this risk, and in addition to conscientious reflexive practice (Ives and Dunn ), emergent themes from initial interviews were explored in subsequent interviews, enabling a form of iterative ‘member validation’ in which participants were invited to reflect upon the ongoing analysis of the dataset as a whole and my interpretation of their own individual story.…”

“…Given that health services are used to help men make a 'positive' transition to fatherhood, and given the implicit normative agenda that dictates what a positive transition is, it is important to understand to what extent men's own perceptions of their role as fathers mirror or challenge the normative agenda adopted by the RCM and others, and in what ways that agenda might be challenged or reinforced by men's interaction with health services. The data presented in this article were collected during an Economic and Social Research Council study carried out as part of a broader reflexive bioethics project exploring the ethical normativity of contemporary fatherhood and the role of health services in responding to and shaping those norms (Draper and Ives 2009, 2013, Ives 2013, Ives et al 2008.…”

Managing misaligned paternity findings in research including sickle cell disease screening in Kenya: ‘Consulting communities’ to inform policy

“…Draper and Ives' (2009) ethical analysis of the rights of men to paternity testing in the UK similarly concludes that such requests are difficult to support, including arguments for the central nature of the interests of children involved in such disputes (Draper & Ives, 2009). Their analysis points to the importance of making a distinction between social and biological concepts of paternity, recognising the rights and responsibilities (of fathers and their children) as bound up within existing fatherhood relationships, irrespective of genetic links.…”

Issues on Methods of Identification in Court Ordered Paternity Testing ?The Case of Portugal

“…The establishment of paternity raises several socio-ethical questions relating to the appropriate use of paternity testing, but the debate have been mainly directed towards the moral, social and policy issues regarding the role and significance of biology and genetics in establishing parental obligations and rights [3][4][5] and in establishing what constitutes relatedness [2]. Other socio-ethical issues that have been discussed relate to the impact of paternal discrepancy on public health [6] and the implications of misattributed paternity proved by DNA testing [7,8] or , genetic mix-ups [9].…”