How does my paternity testing kit work?
Paternity testing kits, like most DNA tests, can be done from the comfort of your own home and are easily performed. You can send away for a kit to be sent to your home. Each kit comes with swabbing equipment, which is used to swab the inside of the mouth of the child and father under question. Then you pack it up and send it back, with your payment, back to the lab where the DNA will be tested twice for accuracy. Analysis can be ready for you within three business days.
Every human being has two copies of each of their genes, one from their mother and one from their father. When the DNA is tested, the laboratory testing the genes checks the child’s DNA with the alleged father’s to determine whether or not the father’s contribution matches the child. If the alleged father’s DNA matches half of the child’s genetic strand, it proves that he is the biological father. During a test, the laboratory usually checks multiple different locations of genetics from the DNA strand. This allows for more accuracy on the testing.
Understanding legal requirements.
Paternity test results obtained in your own home are not usually strongly supported in a court of law, so beware if you want to use it as evidence in a case. If you need a paternity test to fulfill immigration requirements or to settle child welfare issues, you need to make sure that the clinic analyzing your DNA complies with internationally recognized standards for paternity testing. Genetic proof of parentage must be absolutely airtight to support child custody or child support in court. You can order a more complete paternity testing kit through a clinic, which will set you up with an appointment to go in and be tested. By attending, you can be properly fingerprinted and identified with a photo ID. Results for the legal tests will be ready within a week and are extremely reliable if the clinic is certified. Even if they are certified, however, some states have different requirements so be sure to verify these regulations.
DNA can be extracted from many different surfaces.
Even if you can’t get the DNA swabbed from the inside of someone’s mouth, there are a lot of other options available for you to use. DNA can be found on everything from hair roots to toothbrushes. Disposable razors and dried bodily fluids, like blood or saliva, can also work. Old chewing gum, licked stamps or envelopes, and cigarette butts are also acceptable.
Interpreting the results of your paternity testing kit
After your test is completed, you will receive one of two answers regarding paternity. Paternity exclusion means that the tested father is not the biological donor. Probability of paternity in this situation is 0%. Paternity inclusion, on the other hand, means that the lab is 99% positive that the tested man is the biological father.
By Lyndsey Payzant