Michigan Supreme Court Rules Against Father Seeking Paternity

[LiberalHeart]

LANSING (AP) -- A man can't sue to make a court declare whether he's the father of a child even if he's listed as the father on the child's birth certificate, the Michigan Supreme Court has ruled. The high court ruled Wednesday four-to-three to bar Michael Barnes from filing suit because the child was conceived when the mother was married to another man.

More:
http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=5200896

[Demeter]

1. I Suppose It's Too Much To Expect DNA Results?

Talk about your 18th century court system....

[LiberalHeart]

2. Sounds to me like DNA doesn't matter; it's all about marriage.

[AngryAmish]

3. It's all about child support

[patcox2]

6. Its the husband's responsibility to keep other men off the wife.

Actually, these laws date from when being a bastard was a seriously stigmatizing thing, the courts will not intervene to force a child's bastard status to be recognized.

[saigon68]

13. Bastardy Laws IF THAT DOESN'T WORK LOOK AT PHOTO BELOW

Bastardy Laws
Massachusetts is one of the states with definite ideas about legitimate offspring. To wit, if the parents' marriage is legally void:

* Because of incest (consanguinity or affinity between the parties), any offspring are illegitimate. (General Laws, Chapter 207, Section 15.)
* Because either parent is to young to have legally married, the kids are legitimate. (General Laws, Chapter 207, Section 16.)
* Because either parent is insane or an idiot, any issue is legitimate. (General Laws, Chapter 207, Section 16.)
* Because of the divorce oops, when one parent discovers after the fact that a former marriage was still legal (but it was an honest mistake), the children are legitimate. (General Laws, Chapter 207, Section 17.)





The first known mention of chastity belts in the West is in Konrad Kyeser von Eichstätt's Bellifortis, a ca. 1400 book describing the military technology of the era. In it is included a rough drawing, accompanied by the Latin text: "Est florentinarum hoc bracile dominarum ferreum et durum ab antea sic reseratum." ("These are hard iron breeches of Florentine women which are closed at the front

[Pithlet]

4. Apparently. The laws should change to reflect new technology.

This is so wrong.

[gratuitous]

5. This is how a lot of states rule

If a man and woman are married, the man is presumed to be the father of any of the woman's children. It's kind of arcane, and goes back to the days of property and privilege based on inheritance.

So, a word of warning to all you men out there who want to extend your gene pool with a married woman: Make sure she's divorced first, or you might never see your child, because even if she's separated from that loser, he's the presumptive father.

Better yet, why not look to unmarried women to spend your seed in? Maybe even get married first, if having a child is so important to you. It's a crazy idea, but it just might work.

[Demit]

7. you might want to edit "husband of the woman's children."

[Ragin_mad]

8. That's why I only screw married women

No worry aobut paying child support. :D :D

[Odin2005]

9. Stupid archaic laws.

Nobody except the Talibornagains care if someone is a "bastard" or not.

[Demeter]

10. IMO, The Fathers May Be Bastards, The Children Aren't

[lumberjack_jeff]

11. Which fathers are bastards?

The guy who is stuck paying for someone else's progeny, or the guy who wants to be a parent to his offspring?

Or perhaps this was just a good opportunity to chime in with a 'men suck'.

Surely it's not an occasion to criticize a woman who got pregnant by a man who was not her husband then after the man helped raise it for four years, she disappears into the sunset, refusing to allow dad to have any contact.

Nor an occasion to criticize a social system which decrees that this is the way it's supposed to be.

[Demeter]

12. The Ones That Don't Bother to Marry the Mother

There are few good reasons to father a child out of wedlock. Marriage is for the protection all the parties, if there is no deception in its formation and operation. While the fashion may be to gather rosebuds while ye may, and sow wild oats, it is not good for the woman, the man or the child.

Parenthood is a lifelong commitment, and too many treat it like a fad.