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Switched at Birth
by eclecticdog
+1 Reply

I know someone this happened to. Same deal, two girls born on the same day under hectic circumstances in a small hospital in a rural state. The one girl's father never believed that she was his and for his birthday one year she got a genetic test to prove him wrong. OOPS! He was right all along. A trip to the hospital, trips to lawyers, trips to meet birth families, and now the woman I met is millions of dollars richer, as is the other.

Re: Switched at Birth
by IncogNeato
He'd sure have looked silly, however, if he'd gone with the lawyers BEFORE getting the DNA tested though, wouldn't he?
Re: Switched at Birth
by Fitzpatrick

Hadn't even thought about the payday possibilities!

Dang, since the hospital is closed and the 4 parents are all deceased, this LW may be too late. Somebody must have some deep pockets somewhere, though!

Re: Switched at Birth
by FBH

On the other hand, this isn't PRIMARILY about her "rights". This is about the other woman before anyone else. The woman who has done the research is certain she's right and has had time to process her thoughts on the so-called switch. But the other woman has not. Further, regardless of her proof, she's going to have to deal with the entire family of this other woman. And that's not going to be easy. The truth here isn't as powerful as the emotions that are attached to this issue. If she pushes it and forces her new revelation on both families, she's going to pay a high price for it. She will be forcing herself on the other family and with it a strong likelihood of emotional damage to everyone involved.

There is a small chance that this will go well. Very small...

Re: Switched at Birth
by HollyD
I disagree with Prudie on this one. The LW has every right to get to know, and have a relationship, with her biological family. The shock will wear off and both women who were switched will have a bigger family. Her biological siblings will be too curious to stay upset forever. Just like with the cases of adoption. Even when the adopted child later finds their biological parent(s) their adoptive parents are still her true parents. She just ends up with a bigger family.
Re: Switched at Birth
by IncogNeato
Fitzpatrick:

Hadn't even thought about the payday possibilities!

Dang, since the hospital is closed and the 4 parents are all deceased, this LW may be too late. Somebody must have some deep pockets somewhere, though!

I suppose the two women could sue for emotional damage, if it were true. However, I suspect it's more likely that the other family has money, and that's where the payday is supposed to come from.
Re: Switched at Birth
by IncogNeato

HollyD:
Her biological siblings will be too curious to stay upset forever.
Except for one brother, who is his own evil twin, I'm in no hurry to add to or to replace any of my siblings. Just because you envision yourself feeling a certain way doesn't mean that all of the other people will feel that way, also.

There is nothing to be gained from this. If she has some freak illness, which is unlikely and is not alluded to in her letter, she knows who these people are. If genetic testing at the time of her freal illness indicates she's unrelated to those she knows as family, she can contact the at that time.

They aren't like a woman who gave up her firstborn to adoption, and has been pining for her ever since. (If any do. I don't know.) These people, as far as they are concerned, have their sibling. This is the person they know and probably love. At best, a relationship with someone who "should" have been their sister would be awkward.

Other than genes (if that) and their mothers having been in the same hospital, they have nothing in common. No common background. No common history. No common friends and experiences. If they felt required to have a relationship with this woman, at best they'd be stilted. At worst, they'd be suspicious of her motives.

Re: Switched at Birth
by magicienne

This letter reminded me of an episode of Dick Van Dyke when he had the baby. He was positive his son was switched with another because (I think I remember correctly) the last names were very similar.

So after the whole episode of worrying they invite the other family over and the other family is black! I think that is supposed to be one of the longest laugh moments on TV.

Not that this letter is the same, just reminded me.

(I'm only 25 I just like reruns :-)

Re: Switched at Birth
by Clara

How horrible! Even if you believed your child had been switched, it seems extremely cruel to tell her that you don't believe she's yours, to the point where she feels the need to get a genetic test. :(

Gee, Whillickers, Holly!
by MessyONE
I guess it all turns out right in the end...

...and unicorn poop is made of marshmallows, and the clouds are made of cotton candy, and the nice grizzly bear is only grouchy because he wants to be your friend.....*



*(I called The Boy to ask if he had more examples like this, and he asked if I was trying to declare that something was bullshit. I said "yes" so he asked me why I don't just say, "What a craptastic load of bullshit." So I did.)
Re: Switched at Birth
by once
HollyD, the LW might have a right to get to meet the other family IF HER STORY IS TRUE. Right now, she just has a hunch and couple of pictures. That's not really a lot to go on. Now imagine that it's NOT true. Imagine that she doesn't look like the family that raised her because her mom was sleeping around, or because her hair color hasn't been seen since her great-grandfather. Imagine that you're the other family. The doorbell rings, and a total stranger says, "Nice to meet you, I'm Mary. I'm your real sister, by the way -- and the one you grew up with is really nothing to you." Would you be thrilled to receive this news? What kind of damage could this do to the totally innocent and oblivious people in the other family? She needs PROOF before she wantonly disrupts their lives to meet some emotional need of her own.
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