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.

It seems that a biological father has no claim to his daughter according to Michigan’s current paternity act, which was written in the 1950′s before DNA testing was available.

This video indicates what the problem is, why it has happended and offers potential insight to others in similar paternity circumstances.

There are additional testing procedures that must be performed after DNA samples have been properly collected and submitted to a certified lab for paternity testing.

Whether for confirmation of paternity, maternity, genetic relationships, legal requirements or simply peace of mind, once the samples have been delivered to the testing facility, the actions performed and the results provided are beyond the control of the potential biological parents, relatives, lawyers and all government agencies.

This is EXACTLY how it should be so as to ensure that the samples have not been tampered with, the identities of those submitting the samples are confirmed and that there is no abuse or interference with how the DNA testing lab conducts the tests and the lab analysis provided.

Confirming DNA Samples and Preparation for Testing

It is not necessary for any one submitting to a DNA test to fully understand the procedures involved in preparation of the samples for testing. The information provided is provided for those wishing to comprehend how such lab testing is performed.

What is likely far more important is to establish a communication interface between the testing laboratory, legal representatives and the individuals requesting the DNA analysis. This is highly warranted in legal cases involving paternity identification, child custody issues and financial support concerns.

Laboratory Analysis Methods

A local paternity case and others like it throughout the country are raising a firestorm of questions and concerns. State legislatures and judges are grappling with questions that go to the heart of what defines being a father.

Pennsylvania says Mike is the father of his child – even though he can prove he’s not the biological father. When his daughter was 2-years-old, Mike found out his wife was having an affair. But his wife told him she would end it, and assured him that their child was his.

However, two years later, he found out that the affair was still going on and he demanded a paternity test. “Got the results back and it was zero percent chance that I could be the biological father,” said Mike.

Mike filed for divorce and after it was granted – his ex-wife remarried. But in the meantime, she sued Mike for child support even though DNA proved that he was not the biological father. He went to court expecting an open and shut case.

He was not the biological father; in fact, the child was now living with her biological father. And yet, to his surprise, Judge David Wecht ruled that Mike had to pay child support – that under state law Mike was in fact the father of the child.

Wecht says what may appear to be an obvious case is less so under state paternity law, which says that when a child is born into an intact marriage the husband in that marriage is presumed to be the father. The law pre-dates DNA testing and Wecht could not consider that evidence.