DNA; The Ronke Odusanya saga

Relationships are complicated, and as far as the eyes can see at the moment, there is no fixed blueprint for anything. Many couples admit that they doubted each other at least once in the duration of their relationship. In fact, this doubt is a huge part of what often leads to separation and dissolution of the relationship. In the case of Ronke Odusanya, a salient, yet unfortunate part of that doubt was the birth of a child. Her estranged husband recently requested a DNA testing to confirm paternity of the child and while there have been people who think it was a smart move, many others feel like the request was uncalled for and insulting. Especially seeing as the child is his carbon copy. Needless to say, the DNA test confirmed that the estranged husband is the biological father of the child. Irrespective of what the results say though, the question we have to ask at this point is; “Should men request paternity testing on their children and should women feel offended at such request?”

As much as it is obvious that men and women cheat almost at the same rates, up till recently, the sins of one gender was much easier to detect. If a man fathers a child outside of his marriage, the wife will have no doubt whatsoever that the child isnt hers. But if the reverse happens, the man would have to do genetic testing on the child to confirm or debunk paternity. And as crucial as this may be to the man's mental, physical, financial and emotional health, paternity testing is still very expensive today and only few men can afford it.

To answer the question of whether or not a man has the right to test for paternity, it could be rephrased as “should men and women know whether they have been cheated on?” if the answer is yes, then the answer to the previous question is yes too. The original offence here is the extramarital affair. But the more heinous would be the fact that women, knowing that the paternity of the pregnancy is questionable, allow the pregnancy to progress and present the child to the wrong man.

For the people who argue that the marriage would be tainted by distrust if a man should request such testing, what may be elusive to these people is that the marriage is already tainted from the moment it crossed the man's mind to wonder whether or not the child was his in the first place. The paternity testing is only the official seal. Either or not the man requests DNA testing, the thought already creates grounds for discussion, therapy and possible mediation. It wont matter that he doesn’t request testing because he cant afford it, the distrust that raised the thought in the first place will remain there and would manifest itself in alternative ways and the results will be the same.

The conversation around paternity testing is one that will never hold true water till all men have equal access to it. And it is at that time that it will become especially glaring what men and women think of their marital vows, and just how much the “almighty” institution of marriage is respected.