Ticktock — it's always the woman's biological clock! Females as young as twenty worry about fertility these days, but it isn't often that you hear men voicing concerns about their sperm count, advanced age, or inability to get their partner pregnant. Is this because males don't have those worries or are they just less vocal about them?
To say that John Edwards surrounded himself by loyal women is an understatement. He recently added one more to the mix by acknowledging his paternity of 2-year-old daughter Quinn with Rielle Hunter. The former vice presidential candidate who rode largely on the ticket of being a "family man" had the public support of both his wife and mistress when news of the love child surfaced. Elizabeth Edwards went so far as to say that she creates a picture of him for their three children — Cate, Emma Claire and Jack. The couple has since separated.
Now, in a recent and eye-opening interview with GQ, Rielle Hunter (who John initially denied involvement with) is singing his praises as she speaks out for the first time. When asked why she remained silent until now, Rielle said:
I feel comfortable talking now, because Johnny went public and made a statement admitting paternity. I didn't feel like I could ever speak until he did that. Because had I spoken, I would have emasculated him. And I could not emasculate him. Also, it is not my desire to teach my daughter that when Mommy's upset with Daddy, you take matters into your own hands and fix Daddy's mistakes. Which I view as one of the biggest problems in all female-and-male relationships.
Despite the chaos of the last few years, Rielle is committed to loving John. This begs the question does a man's actions (however dishonorable), affect his abilities as a dad?
Photo Credit: Mark Seliger/GQ
The UK Sun had an article today about how over-the-counter paternity tests would soon be available in Britain. Little did I know that they've been legally available online in California, Oregon, and Washington since 2008.
The American kits, created by Identigen, sell for about $30 and come with cotton swabs that are to be used for taking samples from the inside of the baby, mother, and man's mouth. Once these samples are sealed in plastic bags along with $119 lab fee and a consent form, they're sent in for analysis. The results can be accessed online within three to five working days.
Although the results are supposed to have 99.99 percent accuracy, they're not allowed as evidence in court, where a more expensive and standard DNA test is required.
Some people think it's a bad idea to make this information so easily available. The person who would stand to lose most from the results, they reason, is the child who is suddenly without a father. What do you think about over-the-counter paternity tests?
Nadya Suleman, mama to octuplets and a total of 14 children, has caused quite a bit of hoopla in recent weeks. All the media attention has raised questions as to the sperm donor's identity. Denis Beaudoin, a former boyfriend of Suleman's, came forward to talk about the possibility that the kids are his. While in his 20s and dating the now-famous woman, he made several sperm donations on her behalf when she told him she had ovarian cancer. In retrospect, he says he should have asked more questions. Would you give your eggs or sperm to a boyfriend or girlfriend so readily?
