A couple years ago, Tennessee State Representative G. A. Hardaway proposed a bill that would require mandatory paternity testing at birth for all children born int Tennessee. Hardaway’s argument was that every child has a right to know who its father is, which seems reasonable enough, especially given the high rate of contested paternity, out of wedlock birth and cuckoldry in the United States. However, the bill faces stiff opposition from women, who believe it is their right to determine who the child’s father is, rather than genetic reality.
Now, a new bill requiring evenly split custody in the case of divorce has come up in Tennessee as well. Of course, women’s groups are bitterly opposed, claiming that it will grant “abusers” (i.e., anyone who stands in the way of women getting exactly what they want all the time) too much power in divorce. Men overwhelmingly support the bill, as do a number of grandmothers, who have been stripped of access to their grandchildren by selfish, vengeful ex-daughter-in-laws.
Evenly split custody is mandated in much of Europe, including the ultra-feminist nation of Sweden, so obviously it does not portend the return of patriarchy or anything like that. However, it could go a long way toward healing fractured bonds between fathers and children, and eliminating punitive child support obligations that would probably be best replaced by actual parenting, which, although very tough, is far more rewarding than having the state seize money and give it to one’s ex to spend however she pleases.
It is interesting to see Tennessee tackling this issue, which other states are largely avoiding. In my opinion, Tennessee’s cultural heritage as a border state where several different cultures converge gives it some perspective and freedom that others may not have. Tennessee is neither strictly Protestant and conservative like deep South states nor hyper-feminist and liberal like many Northern states. Additionally, Tennessee has a large black population – mostly Democratic, of course – which has been hit very hard by dysfunctional family law. If there is any group in America that has been disproportionately alienated from its children and hurt by liberal divorce laws, it is black men, who are all too often summarily evicted from their children’s lives. We all know how that’s worked out…
When we think in terms of politics, it is important to see through partisanship and understand the complex nuances of American culture. For example, while I, personally, may despise the Democratic, feminist Senator Patty Murray of Washington State, I find myself strongly agreeing with G. A. Hardaway, a black Democrat from Tennessee. Likewise, Mike Bell, the white Republican Tennessee Rep. sounds like a good guy to me. I don’t care about “Republican” or “Democrat” — I care about whether or not they support my most basic rights as a man and father. If men begin to develop some consciousness about important issues like paternity testing and custody, we can make an appreciable difference in the lives of millions of men. It is The Spearhead’s mission to help plant the seed of that consciousness in men around the world.
