Today, Marcus Matthews, native Memphian and author of I Am Not the Father: Narratives of Men Falsely Accused of Paternity, will be featured on the nationally syndicated program, The Maury Show at 4pm CST.
On the show, Matthews will discuss his book, upcoming documentary, and his personal story of being falsely accused of paternity when he was a 17-year-old senior at Westside High School.
“False paternity is something that affects so many people. It’s something that the public needs to hear [about],” Matthews said. “Getting the opportunity to talk about it on Maury accomplishes the goal of getting it out there. More than three million [viewers] will get to hear my story in brief and have the opportunity to learn more about my story if they purchase the book.”
Matthews released his book, I Am Not the Father, in August 2010. It profiles his personal account of being falsely accused of paternity, along with stories from four other men who were also falsely accused. He’s currently prepping the release of a documentary centered on the same topic.
In February of this year, I wrote a cover story on Matthews and the false paternity epidemic. You can read it here.
Nationwide, about 17 percent of all paternity tests reveal that a child’s alleged father is not, in fact, the biological father. In Tennessee, 25 percent of paternity testing reveals the man not to be the biological father, according to the Department of Human Services
In Memphis, the percentage of men excluded by DNA paternity tests is significantly higher than the national average. Stephen Conn, director of Medical Testing Resources, says from 55 to 75 percent of the paternity cases he handles each month in Memphis are found to be “exclusions.” His company does about 90 percent of the private paternity tests in the city.
To find out how Matthews’ experience on The Maury Show went, pick up next week’s edition of the Memphis Flyer.
You can order I Am Not the Father exclusively on Matthews’ website: marcuslmatthews.com
Follow him on twitter: @MarcusLMatthews