The use of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) testing to determine paternity has grown increasingly common in Nigeria because of incessant of paternity fraud stories.
Nigeria ranks second highest in paternity fraud in the world with 30%, and there have been reports of babies being switched at birth, making DNA testing very important.
What is a DNA test?
A DNA test is used to determine the biological parent of a child. A DNA test for paternity can be conducted during pregnancy or after the child is born.
The paternity test collects tissue or blood samples from the birthing parent (mother), the potential non-birthing parent (father), and sometimes, the foetus or the child.
Test results indicate a probability of paternity as either 0 or 99.9%. A score of 0 indicates that there is no genetic match between the prospective non-birthing parent and the foetus or child, while 99.9% indicates a high likelihood of paternity.
A lot of women are reluctant when it comes to conducting a DNA test for their children.
Skabash spoke with six Nigerian women to share why many of them dread DNA tests, and here is what they said:
Amaka
I believe the reason women often dread DNA testing stems from two main factors. The first is anxiety. For some women, especially those who might have been with another man before marriage, there’s a lingering possibility that their first pregnancy might not belong to their husband. In such cases, the idea of a DNA test brings a sense of fear and anxiety, as it could expose a truth they may not be ready to confront.
The second factor is hurt due to lack of trust. For women who are confident that the child is their husband’s, a request for a DNA test can feel deeply hurtful. It implies a lack of trust from their partner, which can leave a sour and painful feeling. This perceived mistrust can strain the relationship and, in some cases, even lead to the breakdown of the marriage.
Ultimately, the emotional impact of a DNA test request often goes beyond the test itself, touching on deeper issues of trust, honesty, and vulnerability in the relationship.
Theresa
Well, I feel only cheating and unfaithful women dread it in the real sense.
However, the others, the faithful ones, so to speak, who all speak against it, do so because they are faithful, and it’s heartbreaking to see your partner exercising a very low level of trust for you. So these faithful and loyal ones do not support it in their own defence because they know they are faithful.
I’d say they don’t dread it per se. They find it insulting, find it heartbreaking that a man who is their husband and ‘loves’ them would think they could carry out the DNA test.
I also personally don’t see why a DNA test should be carried out by my husband. It would tear my heart into pieces too. I wouldn’t dread it; I would be dumbfounded. I mean, why are we married if you don’t trust me and you think I would have another man’s child and lie that they are yours? Why would you marry a woman you think can do that? What could our marriage have turned into for you to think you need to do a DNA test now?
Being married to a person, or a woman in this case, that you think can do something so distasteful is the problem to start with. And that’s a reflection of your poor choices and low expectations in marriage and who you marry as a man. So this point of view is where we, the ones who are faithful, see from.
We don’t dread it; maybe we dread being married to someone who would think we can do such a thing to them and their bloodline. Yes, there are women who can do such. Those ones dread it. The faithful ones simply don’t; they are just defending themselves and their loyalty.
What’s the point of being married if it has to get to this?
Mariam
Honestly, if I put to bed, it’s a maybe thing. I can decide to do DNA even before I am asked to do it.
Or knowing the kind of person I am, I would never cheat, and if I’m asked such a request, I’ll get mad at you because it shows you don’t trust me. You don’t believe in me. Like I’m a piece of shit, and many crazy thoughts will go on like that in my head.
Well, I really can’t say what the reasons are. I don’t know anyone personally that this has happened to, but I think many women usually dread it because of what-ifs.
I mean, this life is so superficial, and people think so far and fast. They would rather not try something that has to do with chances and probability.
And sometimes, science could be a curse; a child might be the man or woman’s child, but then there is an issue with the DNA and so on.
Folakemi
For me, if you find conducting a DNA test dreadful, I think you must definitely have something to hide. If a woman is honest with her partner, I do not think she would have any fear about the result.
On the other hand, if one’s partner asks for a DNA test, yes, the woman might feel bad because relationships or marriages are based on trust for each other; asking for DNA might mean a lack of trust from her partner to her but not necessarily that she is scared or that she is cheating.
Bukola
In my opinion, I feel if your husband should ask for a DNA test on his kids, that means the woman is having extramarital affairs outside, and he needs to be sure he is the owner of the kids.
In some cases, some kids are switched at birth, and the husband and wife might not know, and later on they will be wondering why the kids are not theirs.
I feel DNA is very important because my gender nowadays is not being truthful in their marriages, so it should be done.
If you are sure your husband is the owner of your kids, him asking for DNA shouldn’t make you angry or feel he doesn’t trust you; he just needs to clear his conscience because of what is happening now.
Amina
A lady who is requested to do a DNA test by the baby father won’t want to do it if she has many boyfriends and sleeps around before getting pregnant because she would be unsure of the child’s father.
What men think
We asked men if they would do a DNA test and the reason they would. They had these to say:
David
I would definitely request a DNA test in a situation where trust is lost in the marriage or relationship.
On a personal level, I don’t see a reason why women should dread DNA tests if their partner expresses their concerns and decides to keep the matter private.
Brown
The truth is it’s always good to have a DNA test after a child’s birth for a few reasons. Firstly, to be sure your child was not changed at the hospital with a sick or preferred gender by some other funny people, to be sure your wife is still who you thought she was, I call it a loyalty check.
Another reason is to know what you are in for from the beginning; a bastard child is still a child and can be raised with love if the mother shows a sign of true repentance and dedication. True love doesn’t disgrace but embrace, and love is not meant for a perfect person but someone who is broken and capable of change.
In its entirety, DNA is a good thing because we are in a world of merciless women who marry one for the money and fame that comes with it and keep one for love and the reality of life, which is peace of mind in true desire, and when a good man falls into such a lady’s hand, DNA can save him before it’s too late. May God help us to build a home with his fear in the foundation.
I have no reason to do a DNA test, as I trust my wife, and I respect her impact in my life. If she had been doing illegal movement or I had once caught her cheating, I would have thought of it. More so after training a child to university level, what’s the point?
Uche
I can think of doing a DNA test after welcoming a child for certain reasons. I will do a DNA test if there are trust issues in the relationship or if I discover that my partner has a history of cheating or double dating.
I may also request a DNA test if I discover that she still keeps regular contact with her ex-boyfriend or if the child doesn’t share any resemblance or attributes of mine.
Akeem
I haven’t really thought about doing a DNA test because I have never had a reason to.
If there are reasons for DNA between a family, it’s definitely when trust issues start arising, but I have only and always experienced that in movies, never in reality.
I’m grateful to God for taking me through the right path ever since I started my journey. I’m blessed with a wonderful family; never will I ever have a reason to think of DNA, even if it’s free of charge.
Gideon
DNA is very important. Personally, when the issue of distrust starts coming in, I would definitely do a DNA test. It’s not something I want to initiate immediately, but I will do it. There was research that showed that a huge number of people found out that who they consider to be their first child isn’t because their partners had slept with other people.
If a woman feels she is pure and she doesn’t cheat, I don’t think she should have an issue with DNA. The reason why most women are scared to go on with the test is probably that they aren’t sure the man is the father because they have done one or two things outside, and they suspect that the child belongs to someone else.
Every man who has the ability to conduct a DNA test should do so on their kids so that they won’t end up training another person’s child. With a DNA test they can confirm the child is theirs.
Precautions to prevent babies from being switched at birth
A graduate nurse, Juwaydah Olanrewaju, spoke on how some health facilities are able to differentiate babies to avoid mix-ups.
According to her, the issue of babies being switched mistakenly or intentionally is a hazard in the hospital. She said in any facility when something like that happens, everybody, including the doctor, nurse, and attendants, is liable because it’s a big deal.
Olanrewaju stated that swapping of babies happens mostly in substandard hospitals. She claimed that it rarely happens in recognised hospitals that have standard practice and take necessary precautions.
She said the precautions taken are to wear a band containing the baby’s information, including time of birth, weight, and gender, on them for identification purposes.
Olanrewaju disclosed that mothers are also asked to confirm their baby’s gender after birth to avoid mix-ups later on. She added that closed-circuit television (CCTV) also helps to track suspicious activities.
Takeaway
From the responses we got, infidelity isn’t the only reason women dread DNA tests. There is the fear of the result coming out negative because the child might have been switched at birth.
There could also be a DNA issue like chimerism where the child would actually be the father’s own, but a paternity test might show otherwise.
While it might be heartbreaking for a man to discover that the child he has been raising for years isn’t his, it is just as sad for a woman to find out that her partner doesn’t believe her word or trust that he is their child’s father.
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