You know the absolute destruction of "right and wrong"
is complete when the global problem of paternity fraud
appears to be just a matter of judicial bias and
fodder for escapist television shows like Desperate
Housewives.
So, what is paternity fraud? Paternity fraud occurs
when a mother goes, to borrow a phrase from Carnell
Smith, Director of Citizens Against Paternity Fraud,
"man shopping." That is, a mother purposefully lies
about who her child's biological father is. And
what's the pupose of this? The mother
receives/maintains a higher child support award than
the real father can provide.
If an innocent child is lied to concerning a
fundamental thing like who their biological father is,
what are the medical and emotional consequences that
child must face? If a man is lied to about being a
child's biological father, what are the financial and
emotional consequences he must deal with?
Heartache and abject misery abound when mothers make
the choice to commit the crime of paternity fraud.
It's as simple as that. What's the issue? Paternity
fraud isn't a laughing matter, despite the millions of
bumper stickers pasted around the world that ask:
"Who's your daddy?" Paternity fraud destroys not just
the bedrock concept of right and wrong, but the
immediate family members of paternity fraud victims.
Meet Cheryl King. She's married to Liam Magill, a
paternity fraud victim. In 2002, Liam sued his
ex-wife for having an affair during their four-year
marriage, and for the fact DNA proved two of their
three children were not his. A County Court in
Australia properly decided "the law of deceit" applied
because Liam's name was on the children's birth
certificates, and application forms for child support.
Liam Magill was eventually awarded $70,000
compensation from Meredith, his ex-wife. It looked
like a court in Australia was honorable, and would lay
down a precedent for the world to follow. If you lie
about paternity, you've commited a serious crime, and
will pay the price.
Unfortunately, a few months ago the Supreme Court of
Victoria overturned the lower court judgement. You
can't blame Liam Magill for not having been in court
to hear the biased, stupid, and anti-male ruling.
Magill v. Magill once was a torch of reason. It now
has been turned into a heap of ash. The three judges
had the audacity to say the "law of deceit" didn't
apply. One of the three stooges, I mean judges, said
Liam's wife didn't "wholly" set out to deceive him.
Right. Meredith just forgot to tell Liam two of his
three children actually belonged to her lover. Nice
woman, huh? The three judges don't want their ruling
to be used as a precedent, but it's a little too late
for that.
Thank goodness Cheryl King is a fighter. She has
supported her husband Liam through thick and thin.
She's endured the pain of paternity fraud. It's not
easy watching your husband be forced to live with a
lie and pay for it. Cheryl and Liam have joined
millions of people around the world to fight paternity
fraud. Their web site
http://www.australianpaternityfraud.org
is another
starting point to stopping the crime of paternity
fraud.
Meet Mia Terrazas. She's married to Enrique Terrazas,
a paternity fraud victim. Her husband's ex-wife,
Maria Acosta-Rymer, has confessed Enrique isn't the
biological father of a child he raised as his own for
ten years. Mia and Enrique know the true reason why
Maria chose him over the real biological father.
Enrique is a doctor at two hospitals in San Francisco.
Remember what I said earlier about "man shopping?" It
turns out Maria and her lover made certain Enrique's
name appeared on the birth certificate in order for
them to collect child support from him. Again,
Enrique is a doctor. Is this the perfect crime, or
what? The biological father of Serena Terrazas is
alive. Why isn't he paying child support?
Interestingly, Maria is allowed to sue Enrique not
only for more child support, but for allegedly not
providing support since the divorce. What a great
state California is, huh?
Where is the justice for Enrique, Mia, and Serena
Terrazas? It's crystal clear that paternity fraud
destroys entire families both financially and
emotionally. The lies hurt. The lies are
unacceptable. The children of paternity fraud victims
are victims themselves. They often grow up unaware of
their correct medical history or their cultural
background. Do we really hate men that much around
the world we feel nothing about punishing innocent
children?
Mia Terrazas, much like Cheryl King, is a wonderful
second wife who remains deeply supportive of her
husband - a paternity fraud victim. As an interesting
aside, in the state of Georgia, it took the heroic
efforts of second wives of husbands fighting
confiscatory child support guidelines that had nothing
to do with the actual cost of raising children, to
have legislation finally passed making child support
payments fair and just. I believe Cheryl, Mia, and
the second wives of paternity fraud victims around the
world are making, and will continue to make, much
needed family court reform possible.
Truth is, we're in big trouble when the crime of
paternity fraud is treated as another "gotcha" on
television shows like Desperate Housewives. Guessing
the paternity of a baby these days is a sick part of
our twisted sense of family. We're not supposed to
lay moral judgement on mothers who lie about - human
life. Next to drugging children with Ritalin to treat
invented mental disorders, I really can't think of
anything more repulsive.
Mothers who commit paternity fraud should be punished
to fit the full scope of their crime for all parties
concerned. After all, a civilized world will not
continue to exist if the truthful disclosure of a
child's biological father remains - a cheating wife's
choice.
Zizza serves as Vice President for the State of Georgia
for the non-profit organization,
Parents For Label and Drug Free
Education.
Read Zizza's "Think Twice" column at
http://www.ablechild.org/newsarchive.htm.
For more information on paternity fraud, visit:
http://www.paternityfraud.org or
http://www.australianpaternityfraud.org.
