I’ve written before about the possibility of someone “cheating” on a Paternity Test. Here is another viewpoint from the Documents for Divorce blog.

“Due to the nature of collecting the samples, the legal test of course provides an almost cheat proof system if a neutral and qualified third party witness is used. However for the home DNA test, since the parties are responsible for collecting their own samples, this gives rise to the opportunity to cheat on the test. This can be done by submitting someone else’s sample which will inevitably lead to a negative result. This possibility has led some to question the reliability of the at-home tests.”

Author Kevin Camilleri says that in his experience most paternity test participants honestly just want to know the truth. This is our experience as well.

“From a scientific point of view, the accuracy of these tests is now almost a given. When the father, mother and child participate in the paternity test, a properly accredited and experienced DNA testing laboratory will provide a probability of paternity in excess of 99.999% thereby confirming the biological relationship, or alternatively issue a probability of paternity of 0%, thereby confirming with 100% accuracy the exclusion of the alleged father.”

He goes on to make a point that in the rare instance that someone has tried to “cheat”  a paternity test, their efforts are easily noticed by the lab and new, uncontaminated samples are acquired.

If you are suspicious that your partner might try and cheat on a test taking a couple precautions in advance can save you the hassle of submitting new samples.

1. Collect the samples will all test participants present at the same time, seal and mail the samples to the lab your self.
2. Have the sample collection performed by a neutral third party (like a doctor or an attorney, or even an employer). Have the third party seal and mail the samples to the lab.
3. Obtain a “Legal Paternity Test”. With this test the collection of the samples is done in a strict chain-of-custody procedure that will allow the results to be admissible in court.

For more information on legal paternity testing, visit: www.dnatesting.com/dna-testing/legal-paternity-testing.php

Can I test the child without the mother knowing?

Identigene requires a legal guardian to sign for each child in the paternity test.  Usually, this is someone (father or mother) listed on the child’s birth certificate, but it could also be a grandparent or other caregiver who is the child’s legal guardian.

This means that a potential father who does NOT have legal custody of a child must get permission from the mother (or other legal guardian) before we can begin the paternity test.

Why?

Paternity questions can be difficult and embarrassing to ask; that’s because they often go hand in hand with questions of fidelity or faithfulness. No one likes to be called unfaithful, and most don’t like to accuse.  There are many reasons a man may want to test a child without talking to the child’s mother first, but those looking into paternity testing know how big of an impact the answer they receive will have on their life – and a child’s legal guardian, father, mother, or other caregiver, should have a say in that decision.

We know that paternity test answers can be life changing ones, whatever the result. On the phone every day, we provide answers to mothers and potential fathers; some that they expect, some unexpected.  Each result impacts the lives of children being tested.  That’s why we often have to tell potential fathers they will need to talk to the mother and get her permission.  Even when a father shares custody with the mother, we still recommend involving the mother in the test; she can be included for free and her participation strengthens paternity test results while helping everyone involved make the best decision for the child.

“Honey, I want a paternity test.” That’s a tough phrase to utter, and even a difficult one to hear.  But, when it comes to paternity testing, we believe honesty really is the best policy.  And when it comes to testing children, the consent of their legal guardian must come first.

AskKate Question of the Week:

Question: Can my DNA test keep me from getting health insurance?

Many people worry that DNA test results could prevent them from getting health insurance – or even a job – if the results show predisposition to certain diseases.  They fear genetic discrimination from employers and insurers will lead to a GATTACA future where DNA plays the primary role in determining social class and where genetic “In-Valids” are summarily dismissed and abandoned.

In 2008, the New York Times highlighted consumer determination that “something needs to be done so you cannot be discriminated against.”  Insurance companies argue that they are “not interested in any way, shape or form in discriminating based on a genetic marker.”  Yet, congress enacted the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) as a specific protection against such prejudice (signed into law in 2008 and effective November 21, 2009).

Debate continues as to whether or not such laws are necessary or effective.  But where does DNA paternity testing fit into the question?

When FBI geneticists began researching DNA identification through its now-famous CODIS project, they shared similar concerns.  They (wisely) began looking for genetic markers that could tell us about identity without telling us anything else.  The answer?  Junk DNA.

Junk DNA, or non-coding DNA, are genetic markers that don’t seem to do much aside from getting passed on from parent to child.  They aren’t linked to eye color, muscular fitness, or your grandmother’s crooked nose – and they can’t tell us anything about heart disease, leukemia, or even obesity. In short, junk DNA is useless for medical science, but still tells us everything we need to know about identification and biological relationships; it’s perfect for the FBI – and for paternity tests.

In the US, a paternity test commonly uses up to15 genetic markers: any or all of the 13 CODIS markers and one or two other junk DNA markers developed by paternity testing labs.  This means that a DNA test can answer questions about paternity without even looking at questions about inherited diseases.  DNA paternity test results today can only be used for one purpose: paternity.  The results are useless to anyone trying to discriminate based on genetics; to them, the DNA is just … junk.

How soon can you do a DNA Paternity Test?

When people ask how soon you can do a DNA Paternity Test, usually they are asking about Prenatal Paternity Testing. Prenatal paternity testing is a paternity test that is done before the baby is born.

The short answer is that they can be done any time after the 10-12th  week of pregnancy.

Prenatal paternity tests are often conducted using samples obtained from Amnio (amniocentesis) or CVS (chorionic villus sampling)tests. If you are having these tests done for other reasons, let your doctor know that you are interested in paternity testing, and it’s likely that the same samples could be used for both tests.

That being said, these tests DO carry risks, both to mother and baby, and most doctors will not perform them solely for paternity testing. For this reason we suggest that DNA paternity testing be done after the baby is born. DNA samples can be collected easily and painlessly from a swab of the babies mouth minutes after being born. And with Identigene’s 2-3 business day turn around (once samples are received) you get your results quick.

Another benefit to DNA testing after the baby is born is cost. Prenatal Paternity Testing will have a fee for the collection of the prenatal DNA sample. Performed in a hospital or doctors office, this can be very expensive, and may not be covered by medical insurance. DNA paternity testing on prenatal samples is also more expensive, costing $400 or more for the lab fee only. A “peace of mind” DNA Paternity Test from Identigene will only cost you $150 total.

For more information on Prenatal Paternity Testing, talk to your doctor, or visit: http://www.dnatesting.com/dna-testing/prenatal-paternity-test.php

I have been reading about this story for days, and I am still in disbelief.  If you have not heard in late July a woman, Darlene Haynes, was found dead in her apartment in Worchester, MA.  The medical examiner then determined that the woman was eight months pregnant and the child had been removed from her womb before or after being killed.

I have read numerous articles about the forth coming court proceedings to determine custody.  The courts have for the time decided that the child and the woman’s 18 month old remain in protective court custody for at least another month.  The alleged father of the baby, Roberto C. “Tito’’ Rodriguez, is petitioning for some kind of custody with family courts.  As we all know this will require paternity testing.

Come to think of it the child in question will likely need a DNA maternity test to determine if she is in fact related to Haynes.  Although, it is likely that it would come back with a positive result as the child was found in custody of Julie A. Corey, a friend of Haynes.  It is said by those close to her that Corey was trying to pass this child off as her own.  After questioning Corey was charged with being a fugitive from authorities.  They have not yet charged her with the homicide, but the investigation is still underway.

It was equally disturbing when I tried to locate news stories regarding this case.  I simply entered baby stolen from womb and was bombarded with results.  Most of these results did not even pertain to this case the case in Massachusetts.  There were stories from Oregon and Pennsylvania as well. It boggles my mind this idea of harming another person to steal an unborn child.  Sometimes I still feel naive about how others treat another human life.

I plan to follow this case as long as the media finds it news worthy.  It is truly one story that gives me the chills every time I read even the headlines.  Anyone else?

I have been tinkering with this site all day and thought it was time to share.  It covers a lot of random information about genetics to help make sense of a complex science.  It includes great articles about the ethics of stem cell research and more.  It also has interactive tools to see the likelihood of having certain eye colors in your family.

I like the eye color paternity test on our site as it has more options for eye color, but the test on the site listed above explains some of the science behind it that our site does not … yet.  I hope you get a kick out of it like I did.

I especially loved learning more about genetically modified foods.

Remember for any questions about paternity testing or DNA testing in general feel free to contact me!

I have been reading a lot in the news about celebrity paternity testing (links generated by my Google alerts for paternity test), and I found a few articles about DNA Testing in cattle.  As a little bit of a science geek it intrigued me.  Thought I would share my findings.

While this is not a service offered by IDENTIGENE, it is out there.   Apparently, DNA Testing is used in cattle farming for many reasons.  For example, a farmer may test new cattle for paternity in a multiple bull breeding pasture.   Reasons for this include determining whether a bull is not breeding as often as others or which bull is producing bulls with ‘defects.’

Other farmers have been known to test the DNA of their cattle to curb out poor traits before breeding them.  There are a few major traits being tested for currently, one is curly calf syndrome.  This type of DNA Testing is done in an attempt to ensure that only the best cattle are reproducing.

While this testing in cattle may in fact produce a better crop of cows, it is eerily familiar.  I know its a reach from cattle DNA testing to a world like GATTACA, but I always get a little curious as to how far eugenics will take our society with DNA testing in its tool box.   But then again I think too much.

Even without this theory in mind the idea that we are using this type of testing for our cattle and various crops is extremely interesting, at least to me.  Really, where will we go next?  Any thoughts or questions?

Today I stumbled upon an article on the Time’s website.  Thought I would pass on the link.  http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1905706,00.html It is amazing to me how far we have come in such a short time.  DNA Testing has become necessary for not only criminal cases, but paternity and child support cases around the globe require a conclusive DNA Paternity Test.

The history of DNA Testing for paternity cases is just as rich, and IDENTIGENE has expanded that history by bringing peace of mind testing to pharmacies near you.  When I started working here in March of 2006 I never would have guessed that we would be in every major pharmacy in such a short time.  What is next?

No, this is not something we offer, nor is it something we plan to offer.  However, I have been hearing more and more about this, and so I went searching for more information.

I found a few videos, and I was intrigued at the level of interest I found.  Apparently, the DNA test is supposed to be able to tell you the breed of your dog.  I found a few skeptics out there. I am really interested about the science behind all of this, but I cannot find much as far as that goes.    Has anyone used this type of test?  What did you think? I don’t have a dog, or I think I would try it out myself.