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Man Refuses To Believe Positive Paternity Test, Tells Wife He Won’t Be A Father To Their Son
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Man Refuses To Believe Positive Paternity Test, Tells Wife He Won’t Be A Father To Their Son

Man Refuses To Believe Positive Paternity Test, Tells Wife He Won't Be A Father To Their SonInternet Says Man Needs Therapy Instead Of Another Paternity Test After Wife Vents OnlineMan Denies Paternity Despite DNA Test, Refuses To Accept His Dad Is Suspicious He’s Not The Father Because Of Baby’s Skin Color, Drama EnsuesMan Doesn’t Believe He’s The Father, Internet Says He Needs Therapy Instead Of A Paternity TestInternet Can’t Decide If Dad Is In Desperate Need Of Therapy Or Just Dumb After Paternity DramaWoman Asks For Advice After Husband Doesn't Like Son Because He Doesn't Look Black“Won’t Be A Father To Him Because He’s Not A Black Child”: Dad Starts Major DramaFather Doesn't Recognize Son Because He's Not Black Enough Despite The DNA TestMan Insists The Boy His Wife Gave Birth To Is Not His Even After Positive Paternity Test
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Families are built on trust. So when it begins to crumble, even our closest and strongest relationships can break.

A few days ago, a woman who goes online by the nickname Effective_Stress9076 made a post on the ‘Two Hot Takes‘ subreddit, seeking advice on how to navigate her marriage.

In it, she explained that her husband refuses to believe that their second child is his — a positive paternity test also didn’t change his mind.

The Redditor is at a loss and hopes the internet will help her figure out a way forward.

RELATED:

    This man didn’t believe his wife when she said that their second child is really his

    Image credits: Keira Burton / Pexels (not the actual photo)

    So the couple did a paternity test

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    Paternal discrepancy is far less common than many people think

    What the Redditor’s husband is afraid of is sometimes called “paternity fraud.” However, a more accurate term could be “paternal discrepancy,” or PD. The word fraud emphasizes the financial aspect of the phenomenon, while discrepancy describes the anomaly itself—the disconnect between what men think is true and the genetic reality.

    There is a common misconception when it comes to the rates of PD. Many believe it is highly prevalent. For example, a co-host of the 2 Be Better Podcast said in 2023, “The last study said that 40% of men are raising children who are not theirs and they don’t even know it.” However, they did not provide any sources to support this bold claim — probably because such a paper doesn’t exist.

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    “With DNA tests now widely available, so-called paternity fraud has become a staple of talk shows and TV crime series,” American biologist Marlene Zuk wrote. “Aggrieved men accuse tearful wives who profess their fidelity, only to have their extramarital affairs brought to light. Billboards … provocatively ask, ‘Paternity questions?’ and advise that the answers are for sale at your local pharmacy in the form of at-home DNA paternity tests. Some fathers’-rights groups in Australia have called for mandatory paternity testing of all children at birth, with or without the mother’s consent or even her knowledge.”

    Image credits: Rimidolove / Envato Elements (not the actual photo)

    And people are pretty convinced there is a need for all this vigilance. But the truth is much less sensational than the content creators, who spread lies hoping to exchange shock value for clicks, want us to believe.

    “According to the most unbiased research, the real incidence of misassigned paternity in Western countries hovers around 1%, with a few studies pushing that number to 3% or nearly 4%,” Zuk explained. “That’s one-tenth as common as the conventional wisdom has it. It appears that we humans are more honest, monogamous, and faithful than we think.”

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    One of the most thorough cross-cultural studies that you can find on the topic is called How Well Does Paternity Confidence Match Actual Paternity? This research paper estimates of nonpaternity suggests that for men with high paternity confidence, nonpaternity rates are around 1.7% (if we exclude studies of unknown methodology) to 3.3% (if we include such studies).

    True, men who, just like the father from the Reddit post, have low paternity confidence and have chosen to run a test are less likely to be the fathers of their putative children but even most of them are wrong; only 29.8% could be excluded as biological fathers of the children in question.

    “Unbiased studies are hard to find, because most people undergo paternity testing only if they have a reason to suspect a discrepancy between the purported father and the genetic one,” Zuk said. “Using data from the companies that sell the at-home tests, for example, is certain to yield an overestimate of misassigned paternity.”

    So relax, men. Around 96.7% to 98.3% of you are, indeed, the father. And if you don’t believe that even when you receive a positive DNA test, the problem lies elsewhere.

    The positive result hasn’t convinced him either

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    Image credits: Drew Hays / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

    Image credits: Effective_Stress9076

    People who have read the woman’s story feel really sorry for her

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    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

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    Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

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    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

    Mindaugas Balčiauskas

    Mindaugas Balčiauskas

    Author, BoredPanda staff

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    I'm a visual editor at Bored Panda. I kickstart my day with a mug of coffee bigger than my head, ready to tackle Photoshop. I navigate through the digital jungle with finesse, fueled by bamboo breaks and caffeine kicks. When the workday winds down, you might catch me devouring bamboo snacks while binging on the latest TV show, gaming or I could be out in nature, soaking up the tranquility and communing with my inner panda.

    Read less »

    Mindaugas Balčiauskas

    Mindaugas Balčiauskas

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    I'm a visual editor at Bored Panda. I kickstart my day with a mug of coffee bigger than my head, ready to tackle Photoshop. I navigate through the digital jungle with finesse, fueled by bamboo breaks and caffeine kicks. When the workday winds down, you might catch me devouring bamboo snacks while binging on the latest TV show, gaming or I could be out in nature, soaking up the tranquility and communing with my inner panda.

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    respulero
    Community Member
    6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Over everything (stupid, moron, insecure,...) he is a RACIST, even if he is married to a wite woman.

    kelsischloe1986
    Community Member
    6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Divorce and get your kids away from him. He is beyond messed up and his thinking is so warped. No matter how much you love him, that is not the kind of influence you want around your babies. I say run and don't look back. I feel so sorry for this poor woman and her children.

    Load More Comments
    respulero
    Community Member
    6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Over everything (stupid, moron, insecure,...) he is a RACIST, even if he is married to a wite woman.

    kelsischloe1986
    Community Member
    6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Divorce and get your kids away from him. He is beyond messed up and his thinking is so warped. No matter how much you love him, that is not the kind of influence you want around your babies. I say run and don't look back. I feel so sorry for this poor woman and her children.

    Load More Comments
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