Friday, January 11, 2008

Rant: Identigene

(Please wait for a moment while I pull my soapbox out from under the bed, and get up on it. Okay, I am ready.)

You are not going to believe what I heard on the radio: An advertisement for this. No kidding. You can buy it at Rite-Aid. The Ad campaign just cracked me up in a very surreal uncomfortable way. I am a station flipper in the car, so this is where we came in: "My husband had doubts and was quite upset. We used the kit, sent in for the results, and 3 weeks later, my dh is satisfied and content, knowing our child is his." I kid you not. Does this not strike anyone else as just totally weird and strange? That a DNA kit would be marketed to the general public? And with a marketing/media campaign like this? Look how giddy the three women are, all sitting around the laptop, happy and congratulatory that their friend knows just who is her baby's daddy? Sheesh. If you know me in real life, you can ask me sometime about my little family's experience with DNA testing. But however you look at it, I think this says a great deal about our current societal values, morals, and maybe lack thereof.
(Ahem. Stepping off the soapbox, and skooching it back under the bed.)
T.T.F.N.
LB


9 comments:

andie said...

Good heavens. This could put Maury Povich out of business!

What a weird world.

Tami @ Lemon Tree Tales said...

Yes, definitely most sad. Seeing as how Maury Povich and the other daytime talk shows would probably have gone off the air years ago if it weren't for all the mothers who didn't know who their babies' fathers were.

But most sad of all are the ones who are married and the father just doesn't want to take responsibility for the child until he has PROOF that it is his. Doesn't say much for us as Americans does it?

melissa said...

Blech. News to me. Sad (But a wee bit funny, cause I think of a bunch of baby-daddy jokes) (slapping self) No.

It really is pathetic.

Bridget said...

Oh, my gosh, it amazes me that there are that many people out there who don't have a clue who fathered their baby. What is really sad are the Dad's who think they are raising their child to find out later that they aren't the biological father. It shouldn't change the fact that they are the Dad, genetics don't make a daddy, but how horrible.

Cassandra said...

Oh. My. Heavens. I must lead a very sheltered life. I only think about DNA testing in conjunction with murder trials.

Dy said...

You know, in El Paso, TX, there's a billboard on the Interstate that says, "1-800-whose-your-daddy" - it's a testing facility. I guess the sad thing, for me, is that it's needed at all.

But then, hey, I've been w/ Zorak for almost 12.5 years, and the doc can't understand why I didn't want a syphillis test w/ this pregnancy! So, I guess it's a pretty warped world out there.

Dy

Marilyn said...

It may be a comment on society, however, the fact remains, oft times there is doubt about who the father may be. Sometimes it involves a small child or infant other times it involves a grown adult that needs medical history or some form of closer. Thanks to advancements in technology, Identigene has now made paternity testing available and inexpensive for those who find themselves in need of answers only DNA can give.
We at Identigene believe it is better just to know…
Marilyn Hooiman
Identigene
1-888-404-4363 ext 452
mhooiman@identigene.com

Anonymous said...

Well, I just have to go hmmm. I have been surprised over the years how many of those I love and care about have been affected by this issue. I remember when your family experienced a shade of this, and I have a friend who learned a few years ago he has a nearly 18 year old daughter that he thought was someone else's. It sounds crazy at first, but when you hear the details, it really is understandable. A good reminder for me that there is almost always more to know than what appears on the surface. ...but still, commercials and Rite Aids purchases? That is the sensational side of a deeper part of life.

Thanks for sharing, food for thought.

P

Marilyn said...

Thank you for your perspectives!!! I am looking at how the public is reacting to commercials and Drug store purchases of this type. Our product has been available for several years; however, we now have the ability to get it to those that may need it quickly and inexpensively. We have a genuine interest in helping people get true, accurate, reliable information. Life’s important decisions need to be based on the truth. In our opinion....
it’s just better to know.

Marilyn Hooiman
Identigene