One may think, why would there be a need to have a paternity test done. Well, in an ideal world, problems and issues do not exist. Unfortunately, we live in a world where there are definitely grey areas.
Why would you seek a paternity test?
- There may be a personal reason, a man may seek the truth of whether or not a child was fathered by him.
- There are circumstances when a paternity test is required, especially when child support is being demanded.
- Paternity tests can also be used to ascertain inheriatnce rights of a child.
- People who have been adopted may use a this test to find their fathers.
- Immigration applications may also request that a person produce a paternity test to prove that a right exits.
How does it work?
- People are made up of DNA.
- Our DNA is inherited from our parents. We are made up of 50% DNA material from our mother and 50% of our father.
- When a test is required, a sample is taken from the child as well as the father.
- A buccal or cheek swab is taken and this is sent to the lab for testing.
- The result will show if a relationship does exist.
Procedure
- Paternity tests are available at any accredited laboratory. There is an option of having a home test, however it is quite easy to have it done at the laboratory.
- The kit contains specialised cheek swabs that may resemble a cotton bud.
- The test itself is a simple cheek swab of the parties.
- This is then analysed to confirm or deny that a relationship exists.
If there is a legal reason for a test to be ordered, the rules are more stringent. The court will require that the test be conducted via an accredited laboratory. The parties will have to provide identity documents at the time of the test.
A very interesting find is that it is also possible to seek paternity results whilst the mother is pregnant. This can be carried out from eight weeks of pregnancy.
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