Since the dawn of time, children have been born to both married and unmarried women where the biological paternity was undetermined or unknowable. But always in the past, the social construct was to assume that the husband of the mother was the father of the baby. This led to many children being reared by men who had no biological connections to them at all.
That is still legally true today. But the 20th-century innovation in modern genetic technology that reveals paternity through DNA testing was a game-changer. No longer was paternity merely questioned. Now it could be proven.
When paternity requires discretion
There are situations where publicly revealing the paternity of an infant or child can be detrimental to their well-being. In other scenarios, those revelations can destabilize marriages and break up families. Yet there is still a need to know one’s roots, even if that reason is only for medical purposes.
How can all sides be well-served? Perhaps surprisingly, they can be as long as the parties agree to mutual terms. Those facing sensitive legal circumstances can often reach accord when guided by someone with the knowledge and strategies gleaned from years of experience handling similar cases.
Get ahead of complex paternity issues fast
There is nothing to gain by dragging feet when faced with these legal dilemmas surrounding paternity. As soon as you become aware of a situation, it is prudent to be proactive and review all your legal options. It is indeed possible to meet all of your paternal obligations, use discretion and manage to maintain the privacy concerns of all relevant parties.
