A magistrate should judge the case before him or her on its merits, to make a blanket generalisation about paternity tests is highly inappropriate. What is wrong with a man wanting to be sure that he is about to take on a lifetime committment that is actually his? From the reaction of some to this article it would seem that women NEVER have sex with more than one man in a menstrual cycle.

Further, in the cases where heaven forbid a father should actually want custody of the child, God help him! If the mother wants them there is no way in heaven or earth that the father will get them, short of the mother being a drug dealing serial killer (and sometimes not even then)

Is the law always perfect? No there are several cases where it is blatantly biassed against women (have a look at how citizenship applies if a Bajan woman marries a foreigner, as opposed to a Bajan man marrying a foreigner) However women have a very organised lobby for women’s rights and women’s issues. (as they well should) MESA is perhaps not perfect, however it is in the Barbadian case the first organised voice to attempt to address gender issues that relate to men. It is ironic that the most hostile response to their comments are from those who most demand an ear for their own issues.

I think this is an issue of “father” being described as “money” for all intents and purposes since custody is almost always one-sided.
From a male perspective divorce is one thing: you lose half of everything plus your children and then you have to pay for it.
The question is: why has the role of the father become simply one of economics in this “enlightened” age?

(The other thing is; How long can a simple paternity test “delay” a custody battle? I cannot buy that argument.)

I did read it. And it is a shame that men (or women if it was a law concerning them) can be held to ransom like that. Not only must justice be served, but it must appear to be served. Nuff said.

If you think the current man/woman is doing you wrong, leave. Simple, yet effective. Would you stand for your husband bringing home a child from his outside woman? And please don’t tell me it happened in the past. Different times, different society. And “jacket babies” were in full swing then too.

All I am saying is this – if there is a paternity test to be had, both should pay. If you say no, and the man requested the paternity test, let him pay, and if he is not the father, let him be reimbursed. If he is the father, and it is suspected that he is using a “delay tactic”, then have him pay court costs and lawyer fees as well. These tend to be hefty, and persons would rather not bear them.

As for a man having to pay support by force of law for a child that is not his, how is this fair? IF the man decides that he wants to because he has grown to love the child, then this should be his prerogative. Don’t make a man have to work and support a child that is not his, while some deadbeat is out there not doing his fatherly duties. Also, using the argument that it in the “best interest of the child” is also a lame excuse. The best interest of the child is to know whom its real father is, and who by rights should be supporting him/her.