Senator backs ‘automatic DNA tests’ in maintenance cases

Opposition Senator Andre Worrell has renewed calls for automatic DNA testing at the start of child maintenance and paternity proceedings, saying the measure would ensure fairness for all parties and prevent future emotional and financial distress.  

In Wednesday’s Senate debate on the Family Leave Bill, Sen. Worrell echoed comments made last month by acting Chief Magistrate Deidre McKenna, who argued that such a measure would bring greater fairness and clarity to family matters.  

McKenna, speaking during a panel discussion on financial child support delinquency, said Barbados should move towards a system where DNA testing is automatically conducted once a man is brought before the court for maintenance.  

“I would like to see Barbados get to the stage where once a man is brought before the courts for maintenance, that it is automatic that a DNA test is done . . . before we even say to the man, or ask the question, ‘do you think you are the father?’ I think it should be automatic that a DNA test be done,” the acting chief magistrate said at the time. “Once he is adjudged to be the father by the DNA test, we can go forward to how we can sort out maintenance.”  

While supporting the Family Leave Bill, which extends maternity leave from 12 to 14 weeks for single births and 17 weeks for multiple births, and introduces three weeks of paid paternity leave, Sen. Worrell noted that if the law now offers greater balance to both parents, the legal system should also ensure fairness for men by providing accessible and affordable paternity testing.  

“Maybe we need to go to the stage of doing paternity [testing], which is something that has been talked about,” Worrell said. “Because it does cause problems within the legal setting in terms of a number of men who go before the magistrate court with the claim that they’re the father of a child, and then to find out many years later that they are not the father of the child.”  

He suggested that introducing DNA testing at the outset of maintenance proceedings would prevent emotional and financial strain for both parents and children.  

“The only way to get around that — not by a penalty — but perhaps we may need to start introducing early paternity tests so that we can have that as part of the process,” he said.