Citizens Against Paternity Fraud of Florida
Nadine Mendelsohn Ziskind
775 SW 120th Way
Davie, Fl 33325
November 17, 2001
Congressman Alcee
Hastings
2235
Rayburn HOB
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Congressman Hastings:
At the suggestion of your office I am writing to inform you of an issue that affects 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 occurs 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, as in 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 the cases of unmarried parents.
I am proposing legislation that would 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 woman’s husband.
Many states are dealing with this issue, as is Florida. There currently 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.
Paternity fraud is an issue gaining national attention. Federal legislation would ensure that fairness and equality prevail in the family court systems around the nation. The legislation could be incorporated into the Title IV-D acts that deal with issues of child support for married men.
Please check out my website at www.fla.paternityfraud.com for further information.
I look forward to speaking with you in person to discuss these issues, and hopefully gain support for 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