A Halifax judge has denied a man’s request for a paternity test, saying the process may be too distressing for a young teen who has several health issues and has grown up thinking another man is his father.
But, Judge Lester Jesudason of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court also said the man could have the decision reviewed no sooner than 18 months to allow the boy to mature and fully recover from multiple health conditions.
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Jesudason says that period would also give the boy’s mother time to prepare to tell the boy that the man who has raised him is not his biological father.
The 15-page decision describes how the mother had a brief relationship with the man applying for the test, and that they had little contact until he saw a photo of the child on her Facebook page and noticed a resemblance to the boy.
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The man says the woman repeatedly denied that he was the father, and argues it is in the boy’s best interests to find out his “biological heritage” since his family has a history of cancer, ADHD and dyslexia.
The boy’s mother says introducing him to someone identified as his biological father would be particularly traumatic since he has developed a close bond with the man who raised him.
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