Paternity testing in the 70's?

Sly

I am not surprised that this happened. This was rather typical of the times. I suspect that if your father had to pay something, the likelihood is that he is indeed the father, or there is a strong possibility. What DOES surprise me is that the mother had the courage to fight him in court! It was not uncommon for the fathers to lie, cheat and encourage their buddies to lie in court, unconcerned about the reputations of the mothers or the stigma the children would live under, as long as they got another chance to sow their wild oats. Since child support was difficult for women to get and for them to continue to receive (even married women who had the sympathy of the court had to hire and pay for an attorney in order to get unpaid child support...difficult with little income) few women chanced being further maligned and crucified in a courtroom. Even rape victims were torn apart until quite recently and mothers who were trying to obtain support for their illegitimate children were considered fair game.

Despite the cliche of the time, there were very few of us who went out and got ourselves pregnant, as many of us were accused. To the best of my knowledge, that one only really worked once...the rest of us got pregnant the old fashioned way....with a little help from a male.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but once again, if these guys had stepped up at the time rather than being more concerned about possibly having to support another man's child, there would be far fewer adoptees today.

Due August 26th w/ #2

You two can have your DNA compaired. If you are truly siblings DNA testing would confirm.

cantstopLinnyG

It does sort of sound like some sort of payoff deal. Things were sort of shady back then. Some courts would make a father pay a lump sum of cash instead of monthly or weekly child support. It's highly doubtful he would have been ordered to pay anything if there was not a strong likelyhood of him being the father.

If your father seems really mad about it, chances are, this is your brother. Things were sort of "hush hush" back then, and it sounds like your Dad doesn't want it brought up at this point.

As an adoptee, that really bothers me, as we just want to know our first families. Even if he was raised by his natural mother, he still needs and wants to know his father and you, his sibling.

I am in reunion with my siblings, and it is amazing.

I have included a link to a company which provides sibling DNA testing, but to make it 99.9% accurate, your dad would have to be tested. Although....there are ways to do it, without actually having him swabbed.....just sayin', lol...

http://www.paternityexperts.com/siblings.html

â™¥Instantkarmaâ™¥â™«

Science has improved so much since the 1970s. I believe back then they didn't do DNA tests--just blood samples and if they child and the dad share the same blood type that was considered a close match, and he was probably ordered to pay for the tests, and for the court costs. This is your dad's business and it was wrong for the maybe sibling to contact anyone other than his suspected father--unless of course you are a legal adult. If you are of age and can afford it, you could get a DNA test done to see if you are indeed related.

Heather B

I think testing has come a long way since back then.

I'm aghast that a father can reject his offspring and refuse him. I hope you and your sibling are able to form a great relationship, despite this.

All the best.

gypsywinter

My niece would find out in her 20's that my brother was not her 'real' father (about 4 years ago)...I was even shocked.. Bro and sis-in-law sure kept that secret under tight wraps. My brother finally told her when she was in her 20's and who her natural father was. And it was only then that my sis-in-law would tell her daughter the truth. I helped my niece search..but her natural father had died just over a year before. We found her half-siblings, but only one 1/2 brother would agree to a DNA test. She sent for the kits...swabbing and within a month...the results came back, that yes..they shared the same father..and it wasn't too expensive. So yes, I would strongly suggest that you contact this maybe brother and ask if he would agree to do a DNA test with you. Your father doesn't need to know that you are doing this, but you can surely share the 'news' with him if the DNA test comes back a match. I have become a Hater of Secrets & Lies..and if the parents, any parents, get PO'd about it...tough...they shouldn't make their children live out their secrets and lies. Good Luck!!
BTW..my niece still has a great relationship with her 'dad' (my bro) and her mom...though she was at first quite hurt and PO'd with the 2 of them for keeping the truth from her and she told them so!.

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