"You're not obligated to disclose painful, personal details about your long-dead relatives just because someone else wants you to; you have a very real right to decide whom you want to have a family relationship with."
"It's also possible that you'd feel better if you were to answer this young woman more directly by saying, 'I won't take a DNA test, and I'm a'."
A man reflects on his troubled relationship with his deceased brother, who caused him significant harm during their childhood. After the brother's death, the man cut ties with his parents, who favored the brother. Years later, a young woman claims to be the brother's child and requests a DNA test. The man declines, feeling no obligation to engage with her or reveal painful family history, despite his wife's encouragement to consider the request for peace of mind.
Read at Slate Magazine
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