The case for Universal Testing : Time For Truth at Birth

By Michael Thompson

Founder, Paternity Fraud UK

As someone who has spent years supporting victims of paternity fraud, I've witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of discovering the truth about biological parentage years or even decades after a child's birth. The time has come for Britain to implement mandatory paternity testing at birth – a change that would prevent countless families from experiencing the trauma that has brought so many broken men to my organisation's door.

When I founded Paternity Fraud UK, I never imagined the scale of the crisis we would uncover. While the establishment continues to downplay the issue, research by Professor Mark Bellis suggests that approximately one in 25 fathers are unknowingly raising children who aren't biologically theirs. In my experience working with affected families, even this shocking statistic may underestimate the true scale of the problem.

The pain I've witnessed in our support groups is heart-wrenching. Men who've spent years building bonds with children they believed were theirs, only to have their world shattered by an accidental medical discovery or a spite-driven revelation. The current system, which naively relies on trust and voluntary disclosure, is failing both fathers and children.

Those who oppose mandatory testing often hide behind concerns about family stability. As someone who has counselled countless families through these discoveries, I can state unequivocally: the true destroyer of families is not the truth, but the lies that precede it. Every year that we delay implementing universal testing, we allow more time bombs to be planted in more families.

The medical community increasingly supports our position. Professor Bellis's groundbreaking research highlighted how misattributed paternity creates serious public health risks. Without accurate knowledge of genetic heritage, doctors work blind, missing crucial inherited risk factors and potentially prescribing inappropriate treatments. In an era of increasingly personalised genetic medicine, this willful ignorance is nothing short of medical negligence.

Critics sometimes accuse our organisation of being anti-women or anti-family. Nothing could be further from the truth. We advocate for children's fundamental right to know their biological heritage and medical history. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child supports the right to identity – how can we claim to uphold this while deliberately avoiding simple tests that could establish crucial truths about a child's biological heritage?

The technology exists. The costs are minimal – especially compared to the astronomical legal and emotional costs of disputed paternity cases that plague our courts. What's lacking is political will and moral courage.

Some argue that mandatory testing would destroy families. But I've seen too many families destroyed by decades of deception. Truth may sometimes be painful, but it's less devastating than discovering a life-altering lie twenty years down the line. Every week, I speak with men who wish they'd known the truth from day one, rather than having invested years of love, resources, and emotional energy based on a lie.

The NHS already conducts numerous mandatory tests on newborns. Adding a paternity test to this battery would be simple and could be done with the same blood samples already being taken. Results could be sealed and only accessible for medical necessity or upon the child's reaching legal age – though I personally advocate for immediate disclosure.

Having spent years at the coalface of this issue, I'm convinced that universal testing isn't just desirable – it's inevitable. The question is whether Britain will lead the way or be dragged kicking and screaming into an era of genetic transparency.

The opposition to mandatory testing often comes from those who've never had to console a man who's just discovered his teenage children aren't biologically his, or explain to a young adult why they can't access their family medical history. It's easy to theorise about family stability when you're not the one whose life has been built on quicksand.

As genetic testing becomes increasingly common and accessible, these truths will emerge anyway – the only question is when, and at what cost to families. Mandatory testing at birth would prevent decades of deception and allow families to be built on foundations of truth rather than convenience.

The time for half-measures and voluntary schemes has passed. Britain needs mandatory paternity testing at birth. Not just for fathers' rights, but for children's rights to know their true identity and medical heritage. Every day we delay is another day we allow more families to be built on potentially devastating secrets.

For those who oppose this measure, I extend an open invitation: spend a day in our support groups. Listen to the stories. See the devastation that late discovery creates. Then tell me that knowing the truth from day one wouldn't have been better.

The choice is simple: we can have truth at birth, or trauma by discovery. There is no third option in an age of widespread genetic testing. The only question is whether we have the courage to choose the right path.

If you've been affected by Paternity Fraud please email paternityfrauduk@gmail.com to arrange a free and confidential call.

Michael Thompson is the founder of Paternity Fraud UK, an organisation providing support and advocacy for victims of paternity fraud. He has been campaigning for mandatory paternity testing since 2020.