Citizens Against
Paternity Fraud of Florida
Nadine Mendelsohn
Ziskind
775 SW 120th Way
Davie, Fl 33325
November 17, 2001
Governor
Jeb Bush By
Fax: 850-921-6114
The
Capitol Attn:
Betty
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001
Dear Governor Bush:
At the suggestion of Betty, a legislative aide in your
office, I am writing to inform you of an issue that is affecting men in the
Family Court System, and to ask for your support in order to change the way the
family courts deal with this issue.
The issue is one of paternity fraud. Paternity fraud happens when a man is
married to a woman and children are born of that marriage. Under the current
interpretation of FS 742 a rebuttable presumption of paternity exists, but the
family courts in Florida, and many other states do not allow the presumption of
paternity to be refuted in divorce cases.
This is in direct contrast to what happens when an unmarried couple
conceive and birth children. DNA testing is allowed, and even expected in cases
of unmarried parents.
I am proposing legislation to create parity in the family
court system through the use of DNA evidence, so that men who have been or are
in the process of being divorced, do not end up paying for children that they
did not biologically father, and where the mother has, by sin of omission, not
informed the father or the court that the children born of this marriage may
not be biologically related to the women’s husband.
Many states are dealing with this issue, as is Florida. Currently there are two cases before the
Florida Supreme Court. Many states such
as Ohio and Maryland have enacted laws to free men from the burden of
supporting children that are not biologically theirs.
Governor Bush, due to the fact that you signed into law the
DNA evidence bill that would allow convicted criminals the right to have DNA
evidence presented, I know that you have an understanding of fairness and
justice. I also believe that you have
an understating of the role that scientific proof plays in the courts. Victims of Paternity Fraud are asking for
the same understanding and ability to use DNA to free them from a wrongful
adjudication.
Please check out my website
at www.fla.paternityfraud.com for
further information.
I look forward to speaking with you to discuss these issues,
and hopefully gain support for the passage of the proposed legislation.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Nadine Mendelsohn-Ziskind
Citizens Against Paternity
Fraud in Florida