DNA Testing for paternity identification related issues is not the mystery it was only a few years ago.

After all, it makes regular appearances in the crime novels we read, the CSI shows on TV and in courtroom dramas on the big screen.

Most people understand that DNA (also known as our chromosomal fingerprint) can be found in trace evidence from crime scenes and is used to identify criminals.

Legal DNA Paternity Testing

Legal DNA Testing, done through an accredited DNA Testing facility, is court admissible evidence and considered one of our best ways of pinpointing identity through evidence left behind such as blood, hair, saliva or bodily fluids. But it is always very frequently used in identifying the paternity of a child.

In order to understand how DNA Testing works, it is essential to understand DNA itself. DNA consists of a ladder-like structure of chromosomes that a father and a mother contribute to a child.

At birth, that child has identifiable characteristics of both the mother and the father’s DNA within his/her own DNA structure.

Historically, attributes such as eye color, hair color, blood type and facial features were the things that fathers used to be certain of parentage. And in fact, there is a test for eye color that can potentially eliminate a man as a child’s father.

However, there is a much broader range of error in that test than accuracy. Even blood type can be tricky. So many people share the same blood type, it would be impossible to eliminate a woman’s husband who shared the same blood type as the child’s biological father.

Today, DNA Testing is also used in a number of domestic cases, including when there is a dispute or a question concerning the true identity of a child’s father.

Paternity DNA Tests

Paternity DNA Testing can be done using only a DNA Testing sample from the presumed father and from the child in question. However, it is much more accurate if the mother’s DNA Testing sample is included in the test.

There are also two kinds of tests-the less expensive home DNA Testing kits and the legal DNA Testing done through an accredited facility. Experts recommend where paternity is concerned, it pays to do the DNA Test legally, so that the results are court admissible.

There are a myriad of reasons why it might be important to know the true identity of a child’s father, but it’s a complicated issue, fraught with emotional land mines.

In most states, if a man and a woman have been married 300 days at the time the woman gives birth, her husband is legally considered to be the father of the child. However, that assumes that the wife has been entirely faithful to the marriage.

In most cases, this is true, and the husband has no reason to assume differently.

But suppose a question has come up about a child’s parentage.In the case of Dean Smith, 34, a Los Angeles carpenter, divorce was imminent. He and his wife had a daughter who was three-years-old, whom Dean had always assumed was his.

But in the heat of an argument, his wife had implied that might not be the case. Suddenly, Dean was no longer sure she was his biological daughter. He considered getting a DNA Paternity Test.

Paternity Identification and the Right to Know

Now, there are a number of factors at work here:

Dean has the right to know if he is the father of the child he has been raising and supporting. Legally, he is responsible for her.

The child has the right to know if Dean is, in fact, her father.

If Dean is her biological father, then he is legally bound to support the child until she turns 18. If he is not her biological father, he might have a case for discontinuing child support.

The problem is, Dean loves the little girl, whether he is, in fact, her father or not.

So, complicated issues of betrayal, legality and ethics arise around paternity and these should all be considered carefully before deciding to do a Paternity DNA test.

In messy divorce cases, there are times when legal DNA testing evidence that eliminates a husband as the father can have serious financial ramifications for both the child and the father.

Women also have a right to know paternity of their children. If a woman has had several partners and is not certain of paternity, a DNA paternity case can resolve this question.

Not only does she then have the legal right to expect financial support from the biological father, but her child will have an accurate family history to trace as he/she gets older. It can also prove to an uncertain husband that he is, in fact, the father of her child.

Gina, 18, had been adopted at birth. She loved her adoptive parents but was curious about her biological parents. Her search took her two years, but eventually, she found Tom, the man she believed was her father.

Tom was married with a young family, and had no idea a child had been born of a relationship that ended years before his current one. He agreed to do a paternity DNA Test.

They both gave saliva swipe samples to an accredited DNA Testing facility. The results took seven days to complete and cost nearly $500. It turned out Tom was, in fact, Gina’s biological father.

With all doubt removed from the equation, Tom acknowledged Gina as his daughter and introduced her to his wife and Gina’s half-siblings. For Gina and her new family, the DNA Paternity Test was well worth the money.

DNA Testing Laboratory Procedures

By: Larry Borsheim
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Larry Borsheim is a freelance writer with specialized knowledge in chemistry, DNA Testing and Drug Testing. Contact Larry at mailto:dnadrugtest@gmail.com for more information.

There are certain moral issues that should be addressed before considering a DNA paternity test.

The mother who is not completely certain as to the father of the child, the desire for child support or custody, financial issues and the need to ensure the best for the child.

It is not news that a paternity test using DNA is now the most popular method of establishing the genetic identity of a particular child and parentage.

After taking samples of DNA from the mother, the child and the presumed father, test results from an accredited testing lab will reveal the likelihood of the man being the true father to an accuracy of 99.7 percent or better.

But what are the most likely reasons for a mother or alleged father in pursuing a legal DNA paternity test?

Child Support Issues

For a man who is uncertain he is the father of the child, he may simply wish to not pay child support unless his genetic relationship with the child is confirmed.

If the mother was suspected of having multiple encounters with other men, then the presumed father is ethically justified in pursuing a paternity test.

Indeed, in most countries he has a legal right to discover the truth.

But the reverse is equally possible in that the man is the true genetic father, seeks acknowledgement and truly desires to help the child in any way possible.

However, the mother may not wish this and may prefer to sever her relationship with him, either financially or in all respects.

With respect to the mother of the child, it may be the case that she is seeking financial support because she knows for certain that he is the father.

Unfortunately, this is not always true and she may not even be certain of paternity, but still seek support possibly because the man is financially stable and can provide for her child.

Even if this is considered morally wrong, should the mother be overly criticized for wanting her child to be brought up in a secure environment?

Child Custody Issues

In most legal cases involving child custody, the mother and alleged father are no longer together and frequently have a dislike for each other.

But because there is a child involved this may become a far more important issue than the feelings they have toward each other.

A mother may seek a genetic paternity test in order to avoid sharing custody of the child. It is also possible that she truly wishes to share custody, but only under certain conditions that are not practical or acceptable unless a court of law dictates it.

The presumed father also has a legal right to pursue a test for paternity in order to secure access to his child.

Although there are some uncaring fathers, the majority of men want to help, in any reasonable way possible.

DNA Sampling for Paternity Test

Rape Cases, DNA Testing and Wrongful Convictions

Prior to the availability and acceptance of DNA test results in the courts of law, it has been the case that some men convicted of rape were truly innocent, and those that were actually responsible, never even suspected.

Many wrongful convictions of rape have been overturned by establishing genetic DNA proof that the assaulter was not the one who fathered the child.

And as a mirror can reflect the truth only for those that wish to see it, a presumably innocent man is actually the one responsible.

Identifying Birth Defects with DNA Testing

A prenatal paternity test can help to determine if the future child will have any negative physical syndromes, but these are invasive prenatal tests that may affect either or both mother and child.

Before even conceiving a child, a couple can undergo DNA testing with a certified testing lab to be sure that there are no errant genes in their shared chromosomes that would negatively affect their child.

Unfortunately, in the past this was too costly, but now with affordable DNA testing, they can know for certain if there could be a problem with their future child.

To summarize, most courts of law recognize the validity of paternity tests, but only if they are conducted by professionals and using accredited DNA testing laboratories.

If a home paternity testing kit was used, it is highly unlikely the courts would acknowledge the results as legitimate.

Only legal DNA paternity test results will be accepted as such in the majority of child support and custody cases.

Also, be aware of the motivation and moral consequences involved in undergoing a paternity test. The test results you discover with a DNA test may not be quite what you expected.

Organ Donor DNA Compatibility

Analyzing and comparing the DNA of an organ donor with that of the recipient is extremely important in order to avoid tissue rejection issues.

A DNA test can compare the donor and target DNA samples to ensure compatibility.

Of course, the most compatible organ donors involve the direct and genetically related family members, regardless of their relationship status. But this raises another specter of difficulty.

Suppose a man believing to be the father of his child discovers that his young son or daughter requires a bone marrow transplant, a blood transfusion or perhaps even a new kidney.

The DNA testing is conducted and the results confirmed with high accuracy.

The DNA lab informs the man that he is not genetically compatible and cannot provide donor tissue because he is not the true father of the child.

This would likely be emotionally devastating to a man that brought up the child assuming it was his. The consequences to the relationship between the mother and the man would likely be difficult, at the very least.