Bringing Deadbeat Doctors to Justice

A German man will be forced to pay child support for 18 years. Tragically, he's never had the chance to sleep with the kid's mother:

Tuesday, Germany's Karlsruhe-based Federal Appeals Court ruled that a gynecologist owes $768 per month to his patient after the contraceptive patch he inserted failed to prevent pregnancy.

The hormone-releasing device was supposed to protect her for three years, but according to the court, half a year after the operation, it could no longer be found in her body.

Matt Welch's classic 2004 article on the abuse of paternity laws is here.