# What would a world with mandatory DNA testing of all children be like? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 8, 2009, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372 "2009-01-08T14:35:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372/21 "2009-01-08T17:57:09Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > Also, the question can arise with simple blood-type testing – some combinations of parents simply can’t produce certain blood types in the offspring. Well, typically, but, there is this thing I think is called uniparental disomy where the offspring gets two copies of a gene from one parent and none from another parent. It was discovered when there was a case of some such impossibility arised when all involved did not think the mother cheated. The scientist dug a little deeper and found out she didn’t and the “impossible” really happened. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372/22 "2009-01-08T18:15:42Z")
I wonder how this would affect the whole instution of marriage. At it’s heart, marriage is a legal and economic system to allow for the support and raising of children. The default assumption is that the husband is the father of any children of the wife. If ALL children were tested/matched to their biological father, there might be less people who were interested in marriage. Mandatory testing would remove the need to have a husband in order to identify a default father. On the other hand, mandatory testing would also reduce the number of children being supported by only the mother. If a father was named, I assume he would be held at least financially responsible for the care of the child. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372/23 "2009-01-08T18:15:46Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Why puberty? Isn’t there often a family resemblance way before that? I suppose there can be, but oftentimes you really see the resemblance when the fully grown look takes hold. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372/24 "2009-01-08T18:28:55Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > Also, the question can arise with simple blood-type testing – some combinations of parents simply can’t produce certain blood types in the offspring. I recall reading that when the military started experimenting with transfusions and blood typing, they covered up some of the results because a large percentage of the soldiers tested turned out to be illegitimate. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372/25 "2009-01-08T18:42:14Z")
> [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](#): > > On the other hand, mandatory testing would also reduce the number of children being supported by only the mother. If a father was named, I assume he would be held at least financially responsible for the care of the child. I’m not quite sure I follow. Are you assuming they’re testing the child and the previous generation’s DNA is already on database? Because I can’t imagine the type of guy who’d run out on a pregnant girlfriend or wife would be willing to submit to testing himself. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372/26 "2009-01-08T19:00:52Z")
While we’re at it, why don’t we start surveillance on all married couples to see if they are cheating on their spouses. Or we could bring back and start seriously enforcing adultery laws, with jailtime for people who cheat on their wives or husbands. Why, let’s just get the government involved in all aspects of our marriages. Just like Continuing Legal Education, we could require all married couples to go to counselling. Hell, let’s start issuing permits for childbearing. I find the idea of mandatory DNA testing for all children repulsive. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372/27 "2009-01-08T19:21:54Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > While we’re at it, why don’t we start surveillance on all married couples to see if they are cheating on their spouses. Or we could bring back and start seriously enforcing adultery laws, with jailtime for people who cheat on their wives or husbands. Why, let’s just get the government involved in all aspects of our marriages. Just like Continuing Legal Education, we could require all married couples to go to counselling. Hell, let’s start issuing permits for childbearing. > > I find the idea of mandatory DNA testing for all children repulsive. But it’s OK for women to trick men into supporting children that aren’t theirs, and for the government to enforce that position ? So your position is that it’s OK for the government to intervene only if it exploits men ? If the government can enforce child support, then the “government intervening in personal relationships and reproduction” line has already been crossed. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372/28 "2009-01-08T19:22:58Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > While we’re at it, why don’t we start surveillance on all married couples to see if they are cheating on their spouses. Or we could bring back and start seriously enforcing adultery laws, with jailtime for people who cheat on their wives or husbands. Why, let’s just get the government involved in all aspects of our marriages. Just like Continuing Legal Education, we could require all married couples to go to counselling. Hell, let’s start issuing permits for childbearing. > > I find the idea of mandatory DNA testing for all children repulsive. Yes, yes, but you must have missed the part where I asked for you to pretend that this was magically socially acceptable. In any case, the intent of the law wouldn’t be to prevent cheating, it would be to solve squishy child support cases before any relationships were forged. I was just curious about how such a law might unintentionally affect relationships. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372/29 "2009-01-08T19:25:13Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > But it’s OK for women to trick men into supporting children that aren’t theirs, and for the government to enforce that position ? Trouble understanding my point so you had to make up something outragous and pretend I said that? If you don’t understand my point, ask me to clarify. Don’t ascribe things to me that I didn’t say. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372/30 "2009-01-08T21:15:42Z")
I don’t see the need to DNA-test every child — only in the cases where the mother is pursuing child support from the purported parent. It should work in precisely the same way child support and paternity work when the couple was _never_ married. If she wants child support, she should prove she’s getting it from the right guy. The way the current system is, it seems like deadbeat dads have _more rights_ than lawful husbands. That seems backward to me. (Heck, an accused rapist has more rights.) There’s no pressing need to interfere with a married couple who have a functioning relationship. I can’t see any benefits to introducing doubt into a happy home life; if the father accepts the children as his own, he should be allowed to do so as long as they are married. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372/31 "2009-01-08T21:32:46Z")
> [@Fish](#): > > There’s no pressing need to interfere with a married couple who have a functioning relationship. I can’t see any benefits to introducing doubt into a happy home life; if the father accepts the children as his own, he should be allowed to do so as long as they are married. I also believe that there should be some remedy for a husband who discovers that he has been deceived regarding the paternity of children he believed were his genetically. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372/32 "2009-01-08T21:36:13Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > Trouble understanding my point so you had to make up something outragous and pretend I said that? I’m not. You support the present system, which means that you think it’s “OK for women to trick men into supporting children that aren’t theirs, and for the government to enforce that position.” ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372/33 "2009-01-08T21:37:21Z")
Heh the funny part about this is a man can take a test to see if the child isn’t his, but then his DNA is on file so when he knocks someone up, he can get nailed. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372/34 "2009-01-08T21:49:15Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > When I saw the title, I thought it was about an eugenic type of DNA testing, not paternity testing I thought it was going to be a plan to build a database of DNA profiles with the intent of solving future crimes. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372/35 "2009-01-08T22:05:13Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I’m not. You support the present system, which means that you think it’s “OK for women to trick men into supporting children that aren’t theirs, and for the government to enforce that position.” I’ve been admonished to remain civil in non-Pit threads, so I won’t tell you what I think about your apparent need to misstate my position. Tell yourself whatever you need to, but don’t misrepresent my position. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372/36 "2009-01-08T22:19:46Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Heh the funny part about this is a man can take a test to see if the child isn’t his, but then his DNA is on file so when he knocks someone up, he can get nailed. Which is good. If he doesnt want to get nicked for automatic child support, then he can bloody well wear a rubber, or get snipped. Birth control can fail [been there, done it 3 times. One time was after getting a tubal done, so _DONT_ go there] and should be the responsibility of both parents. But more men than women run out on child support as you can _always_ tell who the kid popped out of, it is sort of unavoidable - but unless you compel a DNA check, you can not say who the father is. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372/37 "2009-01-08T22:29:10Z")
I read somewhere that nowadays it is possible for a child’s DNA to be tested even in utero. In the OP’s hypothetical world, we might see an increase in abortions. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372/38 "2009-01-08T23:34:14Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > Hell, let’s start issuing permits for childbearing. I’d actually be for that one in a heartbeat. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372/39 "2009-01-08T23:48:20Z")
Wait. If I am a single guy and get a single guy pregnant, she can sue me for child support. If I say, “It’s not mine.” then the court can compel a DNA test, right? So, why the need for this? I also agree that if a woman committed fraud by telling a man that he was the father of the child when he really wasn’t, not only should he not be forced to pay child support, but that woman should be prosecuted. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372/40 "2009-01-08T23:54:01Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > So, why the need for this? I also agree that if a woman committed fraud by telling a man that he was the father of the child when he really wasn’t, not only should he not be forced to pay child support, but that woman should be prosecuted. What if she genuinely didn’t know? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-world-with-mandatory-dna-testing-of-all-children-be-like/480372.md?page=3)