Shout It Loud

Once again, Missouri judges have ordered a man to pay for a child that is not his own. The childs mother in this example has stated repeatedly that the man is not the father. Yet a state agency says he is. The desire of the state to throw this man in jail was upheld by an appeals court. This man and others like him caught in a national issue that pits fairness for men against what is considered best for children.

On any given weekday, millions of people are tuned in to watch sensational shows where  a dysfunctional adult and the pawns of their dysfunction are used in a ratings race by the shows. Never knowing who their true father is is the long term suffering the children will endure. Nothing beneficial can come out of the display of a mother testing 5 or more men to determine who fathered her baby, this is something that will forever follow the child.

Many men nationwide are trapped into paying child support because they either are declared such administratively, or do not contest paternity. Unlike the Missouri Legislature several states recently have changed laws or are considering changes that would allow men to introduce DNA evidence after the deadlines have passed. Several bills in the Missouri House and Senate would have allowed that here, but the assigned committees did nothing to bring this legislation forward.

In most states, a reputed father can be declared without his knowledge, making the very short time to contest useless. In Missouri, Kansas, and many other states the period is one year. Child support must be paid until children either turn 18, or graduate college. Judges have a clear legal process designed to disregard true paternity as long as there is anybody that they can force to provide for the child.  This is tantamount to state sponsored paternity fraud.

If there is a requirement of paternity testing before any requirement of child support a great deal of expense, pain, and family disruption can be avoided.  Also, this gives some women the chance take more responsibility for their actions. Lies that hurt so many lives in the long run will no longer be possible.

And by long run we mean a very long run.  In one of these cases a Missouri Court found “…is now held to be the father of (the child) for all purposes and all time,” , “despite both mother and father’s statements to the contrary and without any determination of that relationship by a court of law.”

It is unfair that a man has to pay for a child that is not his, regardless of true paternity a husband is still required by law to support the children even if he did not father them.  It is obvious that in Missouri paternity fraud is rampant.

Often we hear about dead beat dads and womens rights.But what about men who are both responsible and want to do the right thing? Where are the rights for these men? Along with mandatory paternity testing their should be a mandatory law stating that the woman should pay back the child support received over how ever long period the time due to the fact that the child/children are not his.