"Paternity tests are big business because women aren't trusted"

Article here. Excerpt:

'Most company websites, however, eschew celebrity and sensationalism for a staid and serious tone. Sunny platitudes normalize genetic testing. It’s quick and easy. It’s accurate and affordable. And the benefits! Paternity testing produces “strong and happy” families with “emotionally-expressive children” who exhibit “improved cognitive abilities.” The trite marketing copy can border on the absurd. One DNA Diagnostics Center press release chirps: “Father’s Day can take on a whole new meaning when you’re finding out if you’re really a child’s biological father.” Indeed it can.

Yet neither sensationalism nor platitudes should mask the deeply corrosive doubt that is the industry’s bread and butter. The high-minded quest for truth frequently taps a deep vein of misogyny. Decrying the epidemic of “paternity rape,” men’s rights groups call for expanded DNA tests. Paternity testing is about testing women’s credibility. If all women are suspect, some are especially so. Paternity shows play on crude stereotypes of poor, young, and disproportionately nonwhite “baby mamas”—as well as irresponsible black men. As sociologist Patricia Hill Collins has observed, these sexual spectacles also communicate messages about race and class.

It was only a matter of time before this social problem demanded a policy solution. Over the years, legislators in Tennessee, Kansas, and New Jersey have introduced bills to make DNA testing obligatory for all newborns (none have become law). “I’ve heard different stories about [duped] fathers who are raising children and paying child support,” observed one bill’s sponsor by way of explanation. One can guess where he heard those stories.'

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... and further they were on the hook financially, such a test'd be a legal req't. In any case, Wiki on pat. fraud occurrence:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paternity_fraud#Occurrence

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