Women Against Paternity Fraud Submits Paternity Acknowledgment Program Recommendations to HHS

Submitted by Matt on Mon, 2016-11-28 19:10

Article here. Excerpt:

'In-hospital paternity acknowledgements are a cornerstone of government policy and a requirement for any state seeking TANF funds. Establishing paternity is important in knowing what name should be placed on a child's birth certificate, for financial support, access to family medical records, social security and veterans benefits, inheritance, custody and visitation, and the emotional advantage of building a relationship with both parents and extended families.

The current procedure is an example of good intentions gone badly. If the program was designed to do DNA testing prior to asking a man to sign a "paternity acknowledgment form" then this program would be workable.

However, a program that fails to screen out false paternity establishments scores a temporary statistical victory for states seeking TANF funds, but causes enormous enforcement burdens and emotional costs to the victims of false establishments.'

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Comments

This is a well done statement. In truth, a man does not know if he is the father of a child or not. He must trust the mother in that regard. Even the mother may not know--but she does know if there is more than one possibility,

Given the possible consequences of signing this form, including fraud, the government should not demand the father sign the form without a DNA test. As the statement says, if the man asked to sign the form is not the father, the government is facilitating in and perpetuating fraud.

Of course, the recommendations likely won't be followed: there's too much money involved. That the government enforces payment of child support even when it knows the man is not the father shows clearly the government's interest: the money, not the truth.

But both the child and the father have the right to know the truth. And paternity truth usually creates heartache for the child and the father. Only the mother and the government benefit.

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Submitted by el cid on Mon, 2016-11-28 23:56