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Ilya V. Vasilyev
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Could be that dad is not real father, report shows
Thu Aug 11, 2005 8:47 AM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Perhaps one out of every 25 dads could unknowingly
be raising another man's child, a finding that has huge health and social
implications, according to report released Wednesday.
Exposing so-called paternal discrepancy -- when a child is identified as being
biologically fathered by someone other than the man who believes he is the
father -- could lead to family violence and the breakup of many families. On
the other hand, leaving paternal discrepancy hidden means having the wrong
genetic information, which could have health consequences.
A UK-based research team reviewed scientific research dealing with paternity
published between 1950 and 2004 and reports that rates of paternal discrepancy
range from less than 1 percent to as much as 30 percent.
The investigation also showed that becoming pregnant at a younger age, low
socioeconomic status, and being in a long-term relationship rather than being
married seem to be linked to greater likelihood of paternal discrepancy.
It is generally believed that rates of paternal discrepancy are less than 10
percent. A paternal discrepancy rate of 4 percent means that one in 25
families could be affected.
However, soaring rates of paternity testing in North America and Europe means
more cases of paternal discrepancy will be identified in the years ahead,
Professor Mark A. Bellis, from the Center for Public Health at the Liverpool
John Moores University, and colleagues point out in the Journal of
Epidemiology and Community Health.
In the United States, for example, rates of paternity testing more than
doubled between 1991 and 2001. The increasing use of genetic testing for
diagnosis and treatment of disease as well as in judicial procedures will also
yield more opportunities to uncover cases where a father, unbeknownst to him,
is not the biological parent.
"Modern genetic techniques continue to open a Pandora's box on hitherto hidden
aspects of human sexual behavior," the investigators write.
Exposing such situations will inevitably affect not only deceived dads but
also their family and potentially the biological father. Leaving paternal
discrepancy undiagnosed, on the other hand, leaves those affected with
incorrect genetic information that could prove harmful.
What's urgently needed, the authors say, is guidance on how and when paternal
discrepancy should be exposed.
At present, most cases that are inadvertently identified are ignored by
whoever uncovers the situation.
"However, in a society where services and life decisions are increasingly
influenced by genetics, our approach to paternal discrepancy cannot be simply
to ignore this difficult issue but must be informed by what best protects the
health of those affected," Bellis and colleagues argue.
SOURCE: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, August 2005.
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2005-08-11T124742Z_01_N11553710_RTRIDST_0_HEALTH-PATERNITY-DISCREPANCY-DC.XML
Bye,
Ilya V. Vasilyev