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Legal DNA Paternity Test
A paternity test is used to settle any suspicions about the
biological father of a child. The results of the tests can be used
for various reasons. One of these reasons is to establish the
responsibility of the father for financial support of the child. The
court cannot order a male to give this financial support without
fairly conclusive evidence that the male is indeed the father of the
child. For this reason, a legal DNA paternity test must be done.
A legal DNA paternity test is performed in a slightly different
manner than other types of tests to insure the accuracy and
accountability of the results. One of the ways the legal DNA
paternity test differs is in the parties that must be tested. To
maximize the probability of accurate results, the alleged father,
mother, and the child are required. Having the mother present
improves the conclusiveness of the results.
When a legal DNA paternity test is performed, a third party who has
no interest is the outcome of the results must witness the sample
collection process. In addition, photographs must be provided to
prove the identity of each person who is submitting a sample. For
young children who do not have a photo ID, a birth certificate must
be provided. The legal DNA paternity test also requires that the
results of the test are notarized.
These extra precautions are taken to ensure the accuracy of the
results. Each of the steps is documented according to an industry
standard called the chain of custody. If there is ever a question of
the accuracy of the steps, the documentation can be referred to for
verification. There are other methods of paternity testing
available, but when the results need to stand up in a court of law,
a legal DNA paternity test must be performed.
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