“Men lie more, women lie bigger. A man’s lie is, ‘Where was I? Um, I was over at Tony’s house.’ A woman’s lie is, ‘That’s your baby.’”–Comedian Chris RockÂ
From DNA testing: One in five fathers wrongly identified by mothers in Child Support Agency claims (Guardian, 8/1/08):
Nearly one in five paternity claims handled by the Child Support Agency end up showing the mother has deliberately or inadvertently misidentified the father, figures show.
Since DNA paternity testing figures began to be collected in 1998-99, 4,854 paternity claims have turned out to be false after DNA testing.
Under child support legislation it is a criminal offence to make a false statement or representation, and to provide false documents or information.
However, according to the CSA, there has not been a single prosecution of a woman for making a false claim. The figures showing the number of false paternity claims have been compiled using freedom of information legislation.
The latest figures for 2007-08 show that out of 3,474 tests ordered, 661 or 19% named the wrong man…CSA rules state that if the DNA test establishes that the named father is the actual father, then he must pay for the cost of the test. If the DNA establishes he is not the father then the taxpayer pays, so there is no consequence for the mother in making a false claim.
A few points:
1) One out of every five DNA tests show that the woman is either mistaken or father-shopping. Father-shopping is when a woman lies as to the identity of her child’s father, choosing a high-earning man over a low-earner.
I once had a scientist who ran a DNA lab as a guest on my radio show and he told us that sometimes he would have to test three different guys for the same mother. One would be a well-to-do guy who had money. Another might be a low/middle earning man. The third would be a muscle-bound tattooed guy who just got out of jail.
Who was the real father? Almost always it was the guy who just got out of jail, he said. The women were trying to “father-shop” and get child support from the well-to-do guy to pay for the kids they had during their romps with their bad boys.
2) This can be a terrible injustice against the men involved. Some of the men will take the woman’s word for it or can’t afford a DNA test and end up on the hook for 18 years of child support for kids who are not theirs. Yet, not surprisingly, in 10 years of doing this, “there has not been a single prosecution of a woman for making a false claim.”
3) In light of these injustices, what does the political spokesman say? Here it is:
Chris Grayling, Conservative spokesman for work and pensions, said yesterday: “This is an extremely worrying trend and one where proper action should be taken. If some CSA claimants are getting away with making false applications, it will not only slow things down for other families, but it also sends the wrong message about the things we’re willing to accept.”
No words about the victimized men, but he’s quick to show concern that it may slow things down for other women to get their child support checks.
Read the full article here.
Glenn Sacks, www.GlennSacks.comÂ
[Note: If you or someone you love is faced with a divorce or needs help with child custody, child support, false accusations, Parental Alienation, or other family law or criminal law matters, ask Glenn for help by clicking here.]
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In statistics like this, the size and nature of the denominator is very important. The statistic is that 20% of DNA paternity tests performed by the child support agency rule out the putative father. The percent of the general population where the mother’s claim as to who the father is is false could be quite differnt — my money is on much lower, as DNA tests are most likely to be conducted when the man has reason to believe he’s not the father.
Correct. Once paternity tests are required (which makes sense, given the amount of money involved. In no other situation will the court order so much money be paid on one person’s say-so without a single shred of physical evidence.) then we’ll know how much father shopping goes on.
Ryan
RyanR’s last blog post..Faces of Math
One reform that I’d add to the mix is a requirement that in cases where a mother is seeking to enforce child support via the courts, she should be required to name all men who reasonably could be the father, and to sign a statement made under penalty of perjury that she hasn’t left anyone off the list. That way, if DNA testing reveals that the father is "none of the above," she’s immediately on the hook for perjury–or she has to show her cards as to exactly who the potential fathers might be right off the bat. This little step should cut down on some of the outright fraud in these cases.
It’s funny. I’ve seen a few situations where the father of a kid was questionable to say the least. Oddly enough the kids came out looking like who she claimed the Dad was. I am pretty sure the woman more often than not knows who the father is. Lying about the father, also, is more risky for women now than it was "back in the day" primarily because of DNA testing and they know it if they have half a brain. DNA testing is a great way to avoid being stuck with a kid that isn’t yours. It is a new tool that men have at their disposal that, if suspicions are strong enough, should be used regularly.
Also, remember that some people may be quite reluctant to suggest such a thing as it is a subject that could probably cause tension in a relationship. Especially if the woman hasn’t cheated and you’re just paranoid.
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