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?

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?

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?

As always if there are any questions, concerns, or feedback feel free to comment.

You can also follow me on twitter.com (@askkate) or friend me on facebook.com search for Ask Kate in Utah.

Have a great weekend, and I look forward to hearing from everyone.

Sometimes when people are asking about this they are asking about alleged fathers who are only cousins.  Whether they are first cousins or a relationship more distant this type of relationship is distant enough that the DNA they do have in common will not cause any type of conflict with a paternity test.  So, in this type of scenario there is no need to be overly concerned if both fathers cannot be tested.

People will also call about two alleged fathers who are brothers.  The possibility of this causing problems with the results of a paternity test is higher but not by a lot.  Two people who are full brothers still have very unique DNA profiles.

It is extremely unlikely that two people who are only siblings would match the same child at all the markers tested for paternity.  In a paternity test we generally test fifteen markers and in order to be considered the father one must match at all fifteen. 

To ensure the most accurate  results possible we recommend including both alleged fathers and the biological mother whenever feasible.  This will give us all the opportunity to exclude the correct father and provide ensure the most accurate and complete results. 

If we are not able to test both alleged fathers its important to let us know when you send in the samples that the other alleged father is a brother to the one being tested.  This way we know ahead of time that there may be some markers in common that may not be the case if the alleged fathers were not related.

The only exception to this rule is when the alleged fathers are identical twins.  In this scenario DNA testing will not be able to indicate which of the alleged fathers is in fact the biological father of the child.  So, I hope that this blog helps sets a few fears straight.  If not please feel free to email me at kstyer@identigene.com or call at: 801-462-1465.

I have heard cries of joy, eruptions of anger, and absolute silence to both possible results.  People constantly surprise me in their reactions. In these times I work to be as sensitive as possible to how impactful the next words out of my mouth will be for the customer.

At IDENTIGENE we are working to make this process as streamlined, accurate, and reliable as possible.  A long with the science side of things our client support team is always striving to be knowledgeable, understanding, and sensitive.  We hear many people’s stories of what brought them to this moment and where they may go from here.

We are now sponsoring a new website to provide a space for people to share stories of ALL kinds.  We have posted many stories so far of individuals who have dealt with the worries of adoption, those searching for their fathers through impossible odds, and many others.  We would like our customers to feel free to share their stories of DNA testing and how these moments have impacted their lives.

You can find this website at:  www.MyStoryRelated.com.  I hope that you enjoy the stories told there, and that maybe a few of you feel inspired to share a story of your own.

www.mystoryrelated.com is a collection of stories of people finding the connections and relationships that make up the story of who they are. Whether its a story about finding ones biological father, finding the birth mother that gave you up for adoption, or connecting with ancestors that came before, mystoryrelated allows people to read and share the stories that are a big part of their life.

Please take a moment and visit www.mystoryrelated.com and look through some of the stories. Each one is unique and each week we will post a new story.

If you are interested in sharing your story, please do. I am sure there are other like you who would love to read your story. Click Here if you are interested in sharing your story with the readers of our blog.

While I am here, I thought I would post a clip I found that amused me.  Desperate Housewives has joined the many TV shows discussing paternity.  It’s a little silly, and I hope you get a chuckle out of it like I did.

Happy New Year everyone.

A few customers have stayed in touch over the years, and I know that the results of their Paternity Tests have definitely made an impact on their paths.  When I first started working in client support, I spoke with a woman who needed a paternity test on her son, who had passed away, and a child who was conceived shortly before his death.

She was very distraught and would call and email me several times a day.  She emailed me pictures of herself, her son, and the new child.  We discussed the things that would change in her life if this was in fact her grandchild.  Apparently, she didn’t feel the mother of the child was fit to care for the child.  Though she was nervous because she wasn’t sure at her age, 62, she could care for a newborn.

Finally, when her test results were ready she cried.  She wasn’t ready to hear them.  Either way she knew her life was changed forever. It was her son’s child.  For weeks I would hear from her about the court battles over custody and support.

Soon the emails started only coming in every few months.  She had won full custody of the child, and her life was dramatically different.  I still look forward to hearing from her.  The child is almost 18 months old now.

I am not sure I will ever fully understand the magnitude of paternity test results, but I do know I have enjoyed meeting people as they have traveled through what often times can be an exciting and difficult journey.

Just like the issue surrounding requiring paternity testing at birth.  This issue brings up many conflicts from all sides of the situation.  Again, we face three different set of people’s rights and whose is the most important.  We have the “father’s” rights, the mother’s rights, and the child’s rights.  When a solution is determined by looking at one groups rights others are always going to be impacted.

There are many people concerned about the child in these cases.  The money owed to the “father” in each case is apparently returned to him by garnishing the mother’s wages.  To many this could only impact the child negatively.   I imagine that many people have the same thought I do, “What if the mother really believed that he was the father?”

Men’s rights groups have the obvious response to these concerns, which is that these men are entitled to justice.  Does justice always have to be determined in a dollar amount?  Yes, a dollar amount is how this started and maybe that is why it is how it is the counter judgment is determined.  I don’t know.

Just like with the mandatory paternity testing I know there is no right answer here.  I don’t know if I feel that one side’s argument is more legitimate then another’s.  I realize more and more that the laws written in these cases seem to only be written from one group’s perspective.  I find myself concerned about this process of lawmaking.

Anyone have thoughts here?  Is there something I don’t see that makes this type of law more universal?