A set of new bills in the Tennessee Legislature would allow men to stop paying child support if a paternity test shows they are not the father. Tennessee House Bill HB1523 and SB1949, would amend T.C.A. section 36-5-101. If the bills become law, men who could prove they are not the biological father would be exempt from paying child support.
A set of new bills in the Tennessee Legislature would allow men to stop paying child support if a paternity test shows they are not the father. Tennessee House Bill HB1523 and SB1949, would amend T.C.A. section 36-5-101. If the bills become law, men who could prove they are not the biological father would be exempt from paying child support.
This issue has come to be known as Paternity Fraud. In many states even if a man can prove that he is not the biological father, he still must pay child support. The issue is exploding in the news and on the web. Tennessee Divorce and Family Law.
What would happen under these facts: Parents married 17 years, four children ages 15, 13, 11, and 2. Husband in all respects raises the children as his own. Once he’s divorced he is happy to abandon the children. DNA proves husband is not the biological father. No other man is willing to step up to the plate to nurture or support the children. Maybe mom had artificial donor insemination after failed attempts to conceive and didn’t tell her husband. Maybe they both had a gazillion affairs during the marriage. As our courts and legislatures consider these issues, we must keep the interests of children paramount. Piecemeal correcting wrongs to some may do more long term damage than good if we aren’t careful.
