Partible paternity
People from other cultures sometimes possess beliefs that are, well, unbelievable. To illustrate this, accompany me as I step back in time and ask a pregnant lady what I thought was a very simple question.
Dr. Pezzi: Who is the father?
Patient: Which father?
Dr. Pezzi: The baby's father.
Patient: The baby has many fathers.
Dr. Pezzi: (puzzled) No, I don't mean godfathers or relatives or concerned friends. Who is the biological father of your baby? Who got you pregnant?
Patient: As I told you, Doctor, the baby has many fathers.
Dr. Pezzi: A child can have only one father.
Patient: (laughs) Where did you get that idea from?
Dr. Pezzi: Medical school. It's a fact.
Patient: You American doctors have such funny ideas. Babies can have many fathers.
As difficult as it may be to believe, some people around the world truly think that a child can have more than one father. That is, if a woman has intercourse with four other men after she becomes pregnant, the baby will be a genetic hybrid of the five fathers. Don't choke on your blueberry muffin just yet, ‘cause it gets even stranger. Some women believe that genes can be incorporated into the fetus right up to the time of birth. So if a woman was at the bazaar and noticed a man with beautiful eyes, she might seduce him so that her baby born the next day would have his eyes.
This intriguing but erroneous concept is termed partible paternity by Western scientists. Perhaps conveniently, and perhaps out of need, cultures that believe in partible paternity are very accepting of extramarital sex. So if your well-read 17-year-old son suddenly changes his planned destination for Spring Break, you might want to probe further.
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