Historically speaking, in generic terms, marriage to a chaste woman ensured that a man could be sure that their progeny were truly his and that his goods would be passed along a genetic line. Various societies set up myriad rules about courtship and inheritance so that there would be an underlying honesty about family life. Regardless of one's religion, in mundane matters people want to know these things. When one adds layers of faith to the question, then the dignity of the spouses and the dignity of the children ensure that charity is lived in the home.
Obviously, technology has changed that. Contraception allowed infidelity and promiscuity, which quickly became ubiquitous. And now we reap the "benefits," such as "paternal discrepancy."
"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.
This article shows that there are two ways to discover paternity: direct testing because of identity questions, and medical diagnoses that inadvertantly reveal false paternity. The medical community wants guidelines on what to do in the case of the latter.
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.
Sure, we can establish guidelines on how to rock families and strip children of their stability, or we can say, "Hey, promiscuity and infidelity destroy lives. How can we diminish them?" Holy Mother Church is patient and wise -- she's waiting with the answers whenever people want them.
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