Showing posts with label On the web. Show all posts
Showing posts with label On the web. Show all posts

Sunday, December 6, 2009

How DNA Testing Is Changing Fatherhood - NYTimes.com


The NY Times magazine recently published a long, thoughtful article on the complexities that DNA testing has introduced into the issues of fatherhood, child support, and the child's best interests.

How does the NYS court system regard these issues? And, as a professional in the field of human services, what do you think about the conflicts this article describes? Are those the same feelings you have as a father?

How DNA Testing Is Changing Fatherhood - NYTimes.com: "In an age of DNA, when biological relationships can be identified with certainty, it can seem absurd to hew so closely to a centuries-old idea of paternity. And yet basing paternity decisions solely on genetics places the nonbiological father’s welfare above the child’s. Phil Reilly, a lawyer who is also a clinical geneticist, has been wrestling with the policy implications of DNA testing for years, and even he is stumped about how society should manage the problem that men like Mike face. “We’re at a point in our society where the DNA molecule is ascendant, and it’s very much in the public’s consciousness that this is a powerful way to identify relationships,” Reilly says. “Yet at the same time, more people than ever are adopting children, showing that parents can very much love a child who is not their own. The difference here for many men is the combination of hurt and rage over the deceit, the fact that they’re twice beaten. I can see both sides of this argument. As a nation, we’re still in search of what the most ethical policy should be. Every solution is imperfect.”"
Read the whole article -- if you work in the fatherhood field it's well worth the time. Tell us what you think.
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Bad fathering is not the same as bad mothering



If this Salon post is indicative of the popular view of parenting, we've got a long way to go to change attitudes about the importance of good fathering. Check out the search term and Google's response above.

in reference to:
"Really, Google, did you mean that?We know it’s nothing personal; it’s just an algorithm based on the most common queries. And while we appreciate your patience when we suck at spelling “sacerdotal” and don't quite know whether that song goes “whoo hoo” or “woo hoo,” trust us that when we’re looking for faulty fathering, it’s not dear old mom we seek. Who knew you were so Freudian?"
- Did you mean that, Google? - Broadsheet - Salon.com (view on Google Sidewiki)