Germany could ban secret paternity tests by fathers

[Turley]

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1422595,00.html

Brief article in English describing the move by SPD to illegalize paternity tests by fathers without the mother's consent.

Some background:

*Experts say one in ten German children have a misattributed Father, i.e. the assumed Father is not the biological Father.

*Percent of Germans who cheat at some point in marriage (men/women combined) is roughly 72%.

*80% of polled men support legal testing.

Proponents of the move say the child's welfare is paramount and supercedes the "Father's right to know"

Opponents say that women who have cheated are not likely to agree to allow a test since they are 1) being accused of cheating and 2) Could be held liable under German law which legally prohibits fraudulently attributing paternity to the wrong man.

Opponents claim that it is not the child's welfare which is being protected (one assumes the child also deserves to know the truth) but rather the rights of cheating-hearts wives who are not only given more protection, but are also actually emboldened to carry on affairs and/or get pregnant by "preferred" extra-marital sperm donors. Husbands would be left with no choice but to raise and pay for the kid who looks just like the mailman.

So what say ye DUer's? Should men be able to have peace of mind without having to ask her permission? Or do legal DNA tests pose more of a risk to marriages and children's well-being?

P.S. I'm male. And I'm pro-testing.