There are many reasons for one to order a DNA paternity test. Depending on circumstances they could vary from a simple, at-home-test to satisfy a nagging doubt, to a full legal test in a paternity suit. The following are the most common reasons people have to perform the test.
The type of test you should use depends on what you need the results for. If you are going to use the results of a paternity test in a court of law, then there are legal procedures that must be adhered to when performing the test. If a the test is solely for one’s own peace of mind, then a simple to use, at-home-test will suffice, whereby you collect the samples yourself and send them to a testing lab of your choice.
When proof of paternity is needed for legal reasons, the process becomes more complicated and official, with samples needing to be collected and identification authenticated by a medical professional. 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 the way in which the samples are collected and proof and authentication of identity.
Top 5 Most Common Reasons for a Paternity Test
- In cases where a man has a paternity suit filed against him, and is facing child support payments, it is important to establish what the biological relationship is between the man and child, whilst still making sure that the results are recognised in a court of law. Often, a man may be unaware of the child’s existence until a suit is filed, or he may doubt paternity for various reasons. In some cases, a mother may be keeping a child from its father, so he may file the suit in order to gain access. Either way, he would need a paternity test with legal bearing to prove or disprove the claim.
- In inheritance cases, situations arise where unknown, or known but disputed, children lay claim to an inheritance. Whilst many of these may prove to be false, it is still wise to have a DNA paternity test carried out to clear up any doubts and be fair to all concerned. The same would also apply to a child laying claim to a mother’s estate, since DNA testing is not solely applicable to men.
- In cases where a child has been adopted or conceived through donor conception, the child in question often grows up wanting to find his/her biological father. Following divorce cases where a mother gets sole custody, or in cases where a child has been raised by adopted parents, there is often a need, once the child grows up, to meet and have a relationship with their biological father. Paternity tests are an important step here to finding their “real” father
- Sibling cases come with their own challenges when it comes to testing. A paternity test on each sibling will determine if they share a common father, however, they would still require a paternity report to find out who that father is. In cases of twins, one cannot assume that they share the same father, since 1 in 12 twins worldwide have different fathers.
- True identical twins, however, do share the same father since they have identical genetic codes and come from the same egg. This can, however, have its pitfalls later in life as if one of them is tested for the paternity of a child though a twins DNA test, the result can never be conclusive, since either one of them could be the father because of their identical DNA.
- Social security and insurance claims also require proof of paternity when a father is deceased. Typically, in such, a medical examiner would obtain DNA posthumously and conduct a legal paternity test without the claimant needing to rely on other forms of evidence in order to convince a court that a biological relationship existed.
These are the most common reasons people have for needing a paternity test, and since accredited laboratories can now 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 relationship exists between people. At easyDNA we offer a wide range of services that can cover all your testing requirements.