I read an Associated Press article today, posted on miamiherald.com called, “Lugo accepts DNA test for third paternity claim”. Until recent years, paternity suits have had a stereotype of being delegated only to middle or lower class families, and are associated with the terms “child support” and “deadbeat dad”. A list of recent paternity suits that have reached the public eye has changed all that. Take the following list of names I pulled off the top of my head:
- Keanu Reeves
- Jude Law
- Eddie Murphy
- John Edwards
- Larry Birkhead
For a longer list, check out this celebrity paternity cases article. You’ll see that this has been happening for a long time.
The DNA test being required of Paraguay President Lugo is more surprising, however than all these others. At least to me. The AP reported that Lugo is a former priest, who resigned in only 2004 to get into politics. Talk about a mid-life crisis. This paternity suit is actually Lugo’s third. The first occurred while he was bishop of San Pedro. Now, I don’t know all the rules of being a bishop, so I won’t make any snap judgments to this claim. I don’t believe these claims have been substantiated.
This leads me to my point that many of these celebrities are being thrust into the negative light of paternity suits for many reasons. Some, maybe Lugo, because they actually fathered children to women who either want financial support or a father figure for the child, or both. Others, like Keanu, were targeted purely for financial reasons (the DNA test showed he did not father any of the woman’s 4 children).
What I’m getting at is paternity suits and DNA tests are not restricted to the lower class. U.S. DNA labs tested over 300,000 samples in 2007, the last reported year. That number is expected to grow.
In any case, these matters should remain out of the public eye. They should be kept behind closed courtroom doors to be worked out between the parties involved. I say this as I feed the media frenzy with my blog post. I suppose I am as anxious as anyone to see how Lugo’s DNA test results come out. At least he’s not going on Maury.
Noot Lenoel, of Vinton, VA petitioned to bring her brother and sister-in-law to the U.S. from Thailand 13 years ago. She owns the Red Jasmine restaurant in Vinton. Her Brother, Piya, makes amazing Thai dumplings, and Noot refused to serve them until her brother made it into the U.S.
The family did not see the immigration process being as difficult as it was. Piya and his wife needed to go to six interviews at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok . Each time they needed new documents and paperwork in order to prove their relationship with Noot.
According to the Roanoke Times article about Lenoel’s Immigration Process, the familiy needed DNA testing for Immigration as a final step to prove their relatedness. The DNA testing was necessary because there is a significant amount of immigration fraud in Southeast Asia, specifically Thailand.
Finally, after 13 years, Piya and his wife are in the U.S. They immigration process from Thailand was a long struggle, but the family says it’s worth it. Without DNA testing, there is a chance embassy officials would have denied the family a visa.
On behalf of Boston Paternity, congratulations on obtaining your visas. I am sure the patrons of the Red Jasmine are anxiously waiting for the Thai dumplings.
We meet new and interesting people everyday. All different types of people call us or walk into our offices daily. Men and women, rich and poor, young and old, all different races and religions ask us to help gain certainty and peace of mind with DNA testing. They all have unique stories.
Because of strict confidentiality policies, we do not disclose these stories. All of our cases are firewall and password protected on a computer server and kept under lock and key in storage. That's how our clients want it, and we respect their needs.
The fact is, no story is truly unique. There are thousands of fathers unsure of whether a child is theirs. There are thousands of children unsure of who their father is. If you have a story like this or something completely different, you are not alone.
I invite you to send me your story. Tell me the reasons why you needed or wanted a DNA test. I will post these stories in an effort to show individuals and families that they are not alone. Others are going through the same difficult circumstances. Others are unsure and need peace of mind.
Please change the names and places if you want to keep your privacy. I promise not to disclose anything without expressed written consent.
