With the use of paternity tests on the increase, there are many examples of where a test would be needed, whether for peace of mind, to allay suspicious minds, or for legal reasons.

DNA paternity tests differ slightly depending on what the results will be used for. If the results of the test are to be court admissible, then there are legal procedures that must be followed. If a test is simply for one’s own peace of mind, then the simple to use, at-home-test will suffice, where one collects the samples yourself and sends them to a testing lab of their choice.

When paternity must be established for legal reasons, the process is slightly more complex, with samples needing to be collected and identification authenticated by a medical professional, often a GP. Oral swabs, taken from the inside cheek of the mouth are an accepted form of DNA sample for both legal and at-home tests, the difference being proof and authentication of identity.

Top 5 Reasons For Paternity Testing

1. If a man has a paternity suit filed against him, he will be facing monthly child support payments, as well as a legal responsibility to the child. There are many reasons for men to doubt these claims, sometimes feeling that a woman has picked them for financial gain, and it is important to establish one way or the other, what his relationship to the child in question is. In many cases a man is unaware of a child’s existence until the commencement of such a lawsuit, and has suspicions about the mother’s motives.

2. In legacy cases, it is quite common for unknown children to step forward after a parent has died, to lay claim to a portion of the inheritance. Whilst there are many false cases, genuine cases do happen, and is important to clear up all claims and be fair to all concerned. The same process would apply to a child laying claim to a mother’s estate also, since DNA testing is not solely applicable to men.

3. In adoption and foundlings’ cases, it is not uncommon for a child to grow up wanting to find and know their biological parents. In cases where children are separated from a parent early on in life, there is often a need to get back in contact with their natural father and a paternity test is the only conclusive way to be sure they have found their “real” father.

4. Sibling cases often bring their own problems when it comes to DNA testing since a DNA paternity test on each sibling will determine if they share a common father, however a paternity report will still be needed to find out who that father is. In the case of twins, one cannot assume that they share the same father, since 1 in 12 twins worldwide have different fathers.

Identical twins, however, do share the same father since they come from the same egg and have identical genetic codes. This can prove to be a problem later on in life if one of them is tested for the paternity of a child since either one of them could be the father because of their identical DNA. Need a twins DNA test?

5. Proof of paternity can also be needed in social security and insurance. Usually, a medical examiner will obtain DNA from a deceased parent and conduct the necessary test. This saves the claimant having to rely on other forms of evidence to convince a court of a biological relationship.

As shown, there are many instances where the use of for the use a paternity test is necessary, and now that accredited laboratories can return a result of probability of paternity in excess of 99.9% it is legally recognised as the most accurate way to establish what biological relationships exist between people.

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