DNA is a protein molecule that is present inside every cell of the human body and, hence, easily extracted. It can be considered as a bag full of information about overall longlife Human development. Such information is stored inside the DNA in the form of nucleotide patterns, which are different for every Human, and no two humans can have one hundred percent the same arrangement of DNA. This makes every human different from other human beings.

 Paternity is to know the biological father of a child. Knowing the biological father of the child is very important when it comes to mental peace or legal cases like child support and inheritance claims. Although these tests can be performed at home or a nearby DNA lab when required by the court, they can only be done by specific labs that are permissible by the court and hence known as court admissable paternity tests. In this article, we’ll talk about different paternity tests and what paternity tests are admissible in court:

Paternity Testing and its types:

As we know, paternity testing is done to find the biological father, and it can be for some medical, personal, or legal reason. Paternity testing can be done using different methods; hence, every method has advantages and accuracy levels.

• DNA Testing:

-PCR: DNA testing through PCR looks for certain regions of the father’s and the child’s DNA and looks for similarities between the two of them. This test is highly accurate.

-STR Analysis: STR or short tandem repeat analysis is another test for finding paternity. In this test, short repeated sequences are examined by the doctor to find similar sequences between the father and the child through which paternity can be found.

-SNP Analysis: Single nucleotide polymorphism analysis looks for variations in a single nucleotide within the DNA pattern. 

• Non-Invasive Prenatal paternity testing:

This type of test can be done before the baby’s birth to confirm the paternity of the child. This is done by analyzing the fetal DNA that is present inside the blood of the mother, which can be easily extracted, and hence, it is known as non-invasive paternity testing. Other paternity tests like amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling are invasive as compared to non-invasive testing.

• Y-chromosome Testing: 

The Y chromosome is only present in males; hence, in this test, only the Y chromosome is studied. This can be used to confirm the relationship between the father and the son, but it is not commonly used.

• mtDNA testing: 

The DNA that the mother transfers to the children contains mitochondrial DNA, which can be studied to confirm the relationship between the mother and the children.

Types of Court admissible Paternity Tests:

When a court requires a paternity test, it prefers DNA testing methods that have specific standards and not just a paternity test that you performed at home. These standards are there to ensure accuracy. Two of the most common types of paternity tests that the court accepts are discussed below:

• Chain of Custody DNA testing: 

This means that the test that will be performed is performed through controlled procedures to ensure that the biological samples required for the test are not contaminated and that the result of the test is handled correctly. These tests are done under strict conditions, ensuring identification of the patient, proper collection and transportation of the samples, and also a record that shows who had custody of the samples at all times. People are often asking if home paternity tests are admissible in court. The answer is they are not because of the strict protocols that are needed by the court.

• Court-Ordered DNA Testing: 

Court admissible DNA tests are needed to establish paternity in court. These tests are done at the labs that are accredited by the court. These labs that the court accredits follow strict procedures and ensure no errors occur during the test for a better accuracy.

Why are DNA kits at home not accepted by the court?

A court wants a paternity test that is strict about the procedure so that the accuracy of the result is not compromised. Performing such tests at home can lead to significant errors. Like if the sample that you collected gets contaminated, it can lead to wrong results, and hence, it can damage the reliability of the test.

Summary:

There are a lot of reasons why paternity tests can be performed, and these reasons are pretty serious most of the time because they are needed for legal cases. Face DNA is one of the best DNA testing companies that is working in the United States. This company can help you with almost any type of DNA testing with the help of well qualified doctors and the latest equipment that they have.