An erudite piece from a Learned Person. I really enjoyed reading it. Im interested in how the debate will play out in Parliament. Once you have admitted it won't place any cost on the consolidated fund, expect some MPs to pus ... read full comment
An erudite piece from a Learned Person. I really enjoyed reading it. Im interested in how the debate will play out in Parliament. Once you have admitted it won't place any cost on the consolidated fund, expect some MPs to push for it
TRUTH 1 week ago
Don't you also think a system that demands men to pay money to mothers without proof of paternity is also structurally target men unfairly.
After all most men are willing to accept children because of the joy and status t ... read full comment
Don't you also think a system that demands men to pay money to mothers without proof of paternity is also structurally target men unfairly.
After all most men are willing to accept children because of the joy and status that comes with it but when you look careful at what some ladies like Odartey Lamptey's former wife did, it purely hinges on deception and extortion and laws are made to correct such imbalances in society.
It is of no issue if a lady genuinely doesn't know the father of her child and willing to subject themselves to a paternity test.
As it stands, only the lady has the right to consent to a test unless a men goes to court to force a test.
I guess, we are waiting for the white man to suggest such a law before we follow, Africans.
Stephen Armah Quaye 1 week ago
“Truth at Birth: Why Ghana Must Legislate DNA Testing to Protect Families, Justice, and the Future”
Story By: Stephen Armah Quaye
A single DNA result has collapsed marriages, triggered illness, denied children their ... read full comment
“Truth at Birth: Why Ghana Must Legislate DNA Testing to Protect Families, Justice, and the Future”
Story By: Stephen Armah Quaye
A single DNA result has collapsed marriages, triggered illness, denied children their identity, and shattered lives but what if that truth had been known from the very beginning?
Across Ghana and the global diaspora, a quiet crisis is unfolding one that cuts through the heart of family, identity, and justice. It is not a crisis of love, but of truth. And increasingly, that truth is being revealed too late.
Stories of disputed paternity are no longer rare whispers. They are painful realities. Men who have sacrificed years emotionally, financially, spiritually are discovering through DNA testing that the children they raised are not biologically theirs. Families built on trust are collapsing under the weight of scientific certainty. Children, caught in the middle, are left to grapple with questions of identity that should never have been uncertain.
This is not merely a private issue. It is a national concern one that demands legislative attention.
The proposal before Ghana’s Parliament to make DNA testing compulsory at birth is not radical. It is responsible.
First, such a law would protect the rights of men. Paternity fraud knowingly or unknowingly assigning fatherhood to the wrong individual has long existed in silence. Yet the consequences are profound. A man may dedicate his entire life to a child under false pretenses, only to face emotional devastation when the truth emerges years later. Justice demands that no citizen should bear lifelong responsibility based on misinformation. Mandatory DNA testing ensures that fatherhood begins with certainty, not assumption.
Second, the policy safeguards the identity and future of the child. Every child has a fundamental right to know their biological origins not just for emotional clarity, but for medical and legal reasons. Accurate family history can be critical in diagnosing hereditary conditions or making informed health decisions. More importantly, identity forms the foundation of belonging. When that foundation is uncertain, the psychological impact can be lifelong.
Third, early truth prevents future crises. Evidence from immigration systems, particularly in countries like Canada, reveals a troubling pattern. DNA tests conducted years after birth often as part of visa or sponsorship processes are exposing hidden paternity at the worst possible moment. Families are being torn apart across borders. Marriages are collapsing. In some cases, the shock has led to severe health consequences, including cardiac arrest and long-term illness.
These are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of delayed truth.
If DNA testing at birth had been standard practice, such devastation could have been avoided. Truth, when delivered early, may be difficult but it is far less destructive than truth revealed too late.
Critics argue that compulsory DNA testing may undermine trust or violate privacy. But this concern, while valid, must be weighed against the cost of inaction. Trust built on uncertainty is fragile. True trust is strengthened not weakened by transparency. As for privacy, appropriate legal safeguards can ensure that genetic data is protected and used solely for establishing paternity.
The reality is clear: the absence of early verification has already led to widespread emotional, social, and legal harm. Silence has not preserved families it has endangered them.
Moreover, this legislation is not about punishment. It is about prevention. It does not seek to break homes, but to build them on a foundation of truth. It does not question love, but rather ensures that love is not entangled with deception.
Ghana stands at a critical moment. With advancing science comes responsibility. DNA technology offers society a rare gift the ability to know with certainty. The question is whether we will use that gift wisely, or continue to allow uncertainty to fracture lives.
Parliament must act not out of suspicion, but out of foresight.
Because in the end, the greatest tragedy is not the truth itself.
It is discovering that truth when it is already too late.
…End…
Great one 1 week ago
Law is as dynamic as life itself, deceiving a man into taking care of children that are not biologically his must be criminalized, a man can adopt the child of his partner legally but let it be noted
No amount of story ca ... read full comment
Law is as dynamic as life itself, deceiving a man into taking care of children that are not biologically his must be criminalized, a man can adopt the child of his partner legally but let it be noted
No amount of story can turn wrong into right, women must realize that no all extra marital affairs have consequences for men as against when women go outside and collect pregnancy and impose on their husbands
If their sister in law do same to their brothers, will they accept?
If you get pregnant from outside, be truthful and tell your husband, who knows, he might forgive and accept but deceiving him is an unforgivable crime against man and God
Don 1 week ago
Interesting. I read a bit about the twins who were born few minutes apart to different fathers. That alone is a proof of infidelity on the side of the bearer "mother"..... anyways, let's see how it goes.
Interesting. I read a bit about the twins who were born few minutes apart to different fathers. That alone is a proof of infidelity on the side of the bearer "mother"..... anyways, let's see how it goes.
Lance 1 week ago
Is the law about giving your property to woman for divorce even after she cheated big time a state sanctioned discrimination?
Some of you women are backwards selfish. You think you are better than men.
Is the law about giving your property to woman for divorce even after she cheated big time a state sanctioned discrimination?
Some of you women are backwards selfish. You think you are better than men.
Kwame 1 week ago
The husband of this woman should as a matter or urgent conduct a DNA test on their kids if they have any because every single thing I have read here is defensive and nothing more.. smh
The husband of this woman should as a matter or urgent conduct a DNA test on their kids if they have any because every single thing I have read here is defensive and nothing more.. smh
judischrislam 6 days ago
Madam all what we men want is the truth from our women. Don't we marry women with children, adopt those kids and raise them without any problem? Men have alsways done this because they know that this is not my blood but I lo ... read full comment
Madam all what we men want is the truth from our women. Don't we marry women with children, adopt those kids and raise them without any problem? Men have alsways done this because they know that this is not my blood but I love this child because the child is a human being deserving some love and attention. The love you have for the mother is extended to the child(ren).
However, going behind the man in secret to get impregnated by somebody else is a big slap in the face of the man. It is an insult to his manhood and a shame. In some societies it even lead to death.
The children that are not the man he knows what about those that are being hidden from behind.
Hello Madam children who are not of a man's blood are normally difficult to raise because those kids are not spiritually linked to him.
Men are demanding justice and you have to understand this.
I believe you have a strong bond with your daddy and you look like a daddy's little girl because there is a spiritual connection. You should advocate the same for unborn children. Women should not use men to raise their love children.
I believe you have heard the sayimng: "Baboon dey work and monkey dey chop."
Azafari 6 days ago
Hmm. Women.
Hmm. Women.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH 6 days ago
This woman is a prostitute. She's not far from being a daughter of Jezebel. See the people who are judges in Ghana. Some of them used their bodies to rise along the ladder. Then impose their infidelity on their innocent husba ... read full comment
This woman is a prostitute. She's not far from being a daughter of Jezebel. See the people who are judges in Ghana. Some of them used their bodies to rise along the ladder. Then impose their infidelity on their innocent husbands.
I wish this lady's husband will quickly run a test on all children.
May God help all men.
This bill must be passed, cost to be beared by parents just after birth. Every man will be willing to pay that DNA test money because it guarantees his safety.
And if many are doing it, the cost will be down because of higher scales.
MEN, START DNA TESTS EVEN IF THE BILL ISN'T PASSED.
Many ladies are more wicked than men. Only God can tell the details of their wickedness. They cheat and pretend. Sometimes when they're caught, they blame their husbands.
SOMETIMES, THEY GO OUT AND CHEAT AND LURE THEIR MEN TO TOP IT UP. In that case, if there's pregnancy, they can't be caught.
Everyone should start doing DNA tests. Even those with growing children should still check it out. Better late than never.
Felix Owusu-Achiaw 6 days ago
Wonderful exposition, I totally agree with her Ladyship. Deep insight, let sober minds listen to wise counsel. God richly bless you.
Wonderful exposition, I totally agree with her Ladyship. Deep insight, let sober minds listen to wise counsel. God richly bless you.
Mark Pepper 6 days ago
Paternity test had been going on since a very long time now. Once started gradually it would automatically gain roots.
Now those in Overseas coming for their children The Embassies apply the paternity test. The fact that s ... read full comment
Paternity test had been going on since a very long time now. Once started gradually it would automatically gain roots.
Now those in Overseas coming for their children The Embassies apply the paternity test. The fact that some fail had cautioned the generation to sit up. The olden days where kenkey was three pesewas were when things taken for granted. Now kenkey smaller than the former three pesewas size is GHC10. And who would labour mistakenly for other’s wards. Adoption is another or intentional. Deceiving may meet disastrous repercussions. Civilisation is a step form the past or present. Once general Paternity test mentioned is as well means confirmation.
JULOR CAESAR 2 days ago
The person seeking to have that bill passed into law also fails to realize that, if passed into law, it will not pass constitutional muster since it targets only births that occur in hospitals but fails to address the hundred ... read full comment
The person seeking to have that bill passed into law also fails to realize that, if passed into law, it will not pass constitutional muster since it targets only births that occur in hospitals but fails to address the hundreds of thousands of births that take place yearly in homes across the country. That's also another form of discrimination against children born in hospitals. Also, the bill does not include any provision of how these DNA tests are to be funded: are the tests to be borne by parents or the government? If by the parents, don't these parents have the right to assume that children born into a marriage are presumed to be children of the father? That poorly thought bill is nothing but a knee-jerk reaction to some disputed paternity issues that were circulating in the media. No country demands that children born in a hospital be subjected to DNA testing; DNA testing is usually done when one party in the relationship seeks leave of a court to have such test done. It would have made sense if the proposed bill had been seeking to have DNA petitions granted liberally when requested, regardless of how long it has been since the birth of the child, provided the child or children in question are still minors. A proposed law is meaningless when it seeks to address 'true' paternity by targeting just births in hospitals and neglecting the fact that many child births in Ghana also take place outside hospital or clinic settings. For this and other reasons, the proposed bill must be defeated.
An erudite piece from a Learned Person. I really enjoyed reading it. Im interested in how the debate will play out in Parliament. Once you have admitted it won't place any cost on the consolidated fund, expect some MPs to pus ...
read full comment
Don't you also think a system that demands men to pay money to mothers without proof of paternity is also structurally target men unfairly.
After all most men are willing to accept children because of the joy and status t ...
read full comment
“Truth at Birth: Why Ghana Must Legislate DNA Testing to Protect Families, Justice, and the Future”
Story By: Stephen Armah Quaye
A single DNA result has collapsed marriages, triggered illness, denied children their ...
read full comment
Law is as dynamic as life itself, deceiving a man into taking care of children that are not biologically his must be criminalized, a man can adopt the child of his partner legally but let it be noted
No amount of story ca ...
read full comment
Interesting. I read a bit about the twins who were born few minutes apart to different fathers. That alone is a proof of infidelity on the side of the bearer "mother"..... anyways, let's see how it goes.
Is the law about giving your property to woman for divorce even after she cheated big time a state sanctioned discrimination?
Some of you women are backwards selfish. You think you are better than men.
The husband of this woman should as a matter or urgent conduct a DNA test on their kids if they have any because every single thing I have read here is defensive and nothing more.. smh
Madam all what we men want is the truth from our women. Don't we marry women with children, adopt those kids and raise them without any problem? Men have alsways done this because they know that this is not my blood but I lo ...
read full comment
Hmm. Women.
This woman is a prostitute. She's not far from being a daughter of Jezebel. See the people who are judges in Ghana. Some of them used their bodies to rise along the ladder. Then impose their infidelity on their innocent husba ...
read full comment
Wonderful exposition, I totally agree with her Ladyship. Deep insight, let sober minds listen to wise counsel. God richly bless you.
Paternity test had been going on since a very long time now. Once started gradually it would automatically gain roots.
Now those in Overseas coming for their children The Embassies apply the paternity test. The fact that s ...
read full comment
The person seeking to have that bill passed into law also fails to realize that, if passed into law, it will not pass constitutional muster since it targets only births that occur in hospitals but fails to address the hundred ...
read full comment