Traditionally, children born within a marriage were assumed to be fathered by th

Question

Traditionally, children born within a marriage were assumed to be fathered by the husband. Currently however, paternity testing is routine in the USA. For example in 1999 280,000 tests were conducted and in 28% of the cases the husband was not the biological father. Overall, about 5 to 10 percent of marital children are not the biological children of the husband (Santrock 2002).
However, although we have this information, most states have not yet updated their laws and men are required to continue supporting children they have not fathered. In fact, while criminal courts use DNA evidence as support of fatherhood, family courts do not acknowledge this scientific evidence (Santrock, 2002).

Within this context, consider the following questions:

What makes a parental relationship?
If biology is held supreme, what are the implications for adoptive parents? Same-sex parents?
Does the refusal to acknowledge scientific evidence reward women for deception?
Finally, what about the children?

CITE AT LEAST ONE REFERENCE(v.v.v.imp)

Explanation / Answer

Parental relationship is the relationship that exists between parents in between and also between parents and children. The biological relationship and the emotional bonding between is also an important criterion in the relationships. Also, there are certain behaviours, feelings expectations that are unique within a family.

Adoptive parents and same-sex parents are not biologically related to the children and there exists no deception or differences in their relationships to the children. Children are treated with utmost love and care and it will be reciprocated when they grow up. The determination of paternity testing does not work here as the adopting parents and same-sex parents are not biologically related.

As the law makes father pay for the children and many courts does not take the evidence of paternity testing into law there are some issues here and they can be sorted soon by the courts accepting the paternity testing and it is a very well dependent and reliable piece of information on which the biological father and mother can be decided.

Children will definitely have mental stress and trauma and will not have the good parentage.

References :

http://www.healthofchildren.com/P/Parent-Child-Relationships.html

http://family.findlaw.com/paternity/paternity-law.html

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