Paternity Testing on Absent Fathers

DNA testing is one of the most conclusive ways available to determine paternity of any given child. By taking a sample of DNA from both the alleged father and from the child in question, high-tech DNA profiling techniques are used to match reference points across genetic markers on both samples which can lead to an accurate determination of where a genetic relationship exists.

In an ideal world, paternity testing would have available both a sample from the child and from his alleged father in order to best establish the link between them. However, in some DNA paternity testing cases the father is not available to give his DNA sample, whether through choice, or unavailability for some other reason. However, where the father is absent, it is still possible to use other DNA tests to determine whether a relationship exists.

DNA Testing on Other Direct Relatives

By performing DNA testing with other members of the family that share some of the same genes with the alleged father, it is possible to determine whether or not there is a likelihood of paternity over the child in question. Obviously the father’s sample is desired for reasons of accuracy and conclusivity, however it is more than possible (particularly with advancing testing technologies) to be able to determine paternity through shared genetic material through more distant relatives to the father. In other words, provided a relative of the alleged father is available for DNA testing, you should be able to obtain some results although this may not always be conclusive.

DNA Testing on Grandparents

In the absence of the alleged father or any separate sample of his DNA, the alleged paternal grandparents can provide the key to establishing paternity. By taking a sample from either one or both the grandmother and grandfather of the baby, it is possible to determine even in the absence of the father whether or not there is shared genetic material and consequently whether or not there is a shared relationship, i.e. parentage.

DNA Testing on Male Relatives

Y-STR testing is one of the most innovative DNA testing methods honed in recent years, tracking down the male-only Y- chromosome to establish genetic links between male children and elder vertical male relatives, for example grandfathers, great grandfathers, even great uncles by blood relationships. This can be particularly handy where the father is unavailable and direct elderly relatives have died, given that a great deal of genetic material passes unmutated from father to son throughout generations. Of course, this is however absolutely of no use for DNA testing of female children.

DNA Testing on Siblings

Alternatively siblings can also provide a close genetic match, which makes it possible to test whether or not two children are related by the whole blood, rather than half. Where there is dispute over the potential father of a child, an alleged sibling’s sample can be a good way to compare DNA to determine the extent of the relationship. The same can be said for brothers and sisters of the alleged father, who can also share some genetic material sufficient to provide a result in DNA testing of the child in question,

If your situation requires is such that you require to do the DNA testing through one of the alternatives above, it is always advisable to contact in advance the company who will be performing the DNA test and explain your case in full so that they can advise you on the DNA testing options available as well the results that can be obtained.

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Different Methods of Paternity Testing

Paternity testing is becoming increasingly popular as more and more people are beginning to realize the many answers that paternity tests can provide and the emotional and financial heartache that they can save a person. Paternity tests can determine up to 99% accuracy whether or not an individual is the father of a child. This can be very helpful in child custody cases when a man is claiming that he is or is not the biological father of a child. Depending on the results of the paternity test, the courts can then either force the man to pay child support payments or they can make it possible for a person to discontinue, or not begin to, pay child support payments. There are a few different methods that can be used to determine paternity and these different tests can be done either postnatal, which is after a baby is born, or prenatal, which is before the child is born.

A postnatal paternity test can be done by collecting a DNA sample from both the man in question and the child. This can be done through the collection and testing of blood, a swab from the inside of the cheek, umbilical cord and testing, or through various other kinds of testing such as hair and semen. This is generally considered to be the safest kind of paternity testing as the fetus will not be disturbed while it is still developing in the uterus. However, this is not always possible, or not always the preferred type of paternity testing and so, prenatal paternity tests, which are also considered very safe, must be completed to determine paternity.

Amniocentesis is one form of paternity testing that can be done before the child is born. During this type of paternity test, a doctor will insert a large, thin needle into the mother’s belly and right into the uterus. The needle is used to withdraw a small amount of amniotic fluid and that fluid will be tested. This is possible because the amniotic fluid contains DNA and can then be matched, or not matched, to the man’s DNA to establish paternity. This test can only be done under the approval of a doctor as there are some risks to the developing fetus. Some of these risks include miscarriage; leaking of amniotic fluid, which can also be fatal to the fetus, bleeding and cramping for the mother; and a very small chance of injuring the fetus. Because the doctor will use an ultrasound to guide the needle, these risks are very small but are present and so should not be done on a woman who is considered to be in a high-risk pregnancy.

Another type of paternity test is a Chorionic Villus Sampling, otherwise known as CVS. This type of paternity test will allow a small tube or needle to be inserted into the woman through the vagina, where it can then collect chorionic villi from the inside of the uterus. These villi are present on the walls of the uterus and contain the same DNA as the unborn child. These villi are then tested to establish paternity.

The method of paternity test that is chosen should always be taken into careful consideration as usually, this is an issue that can wait until after the child is born and doing so will certainly carry no risks to the child or the mother but still provide answers to questions regarding paternity.

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The Changing Face of Paternity Testing

Paternity testing and the context under which it is done have undergone tremendous change over the last two decades.

            For one, the number of people seeking a paternity test has increased tremendously over the last couple of decades. As people adopt more and more liberal sexual attitudes, many men are finding themselves doubting the paternity of children they are alleged to have fathered, and the only way out of such disputes is often a paternity test. As it were, with the sexual liberation, many women are now increasingly having multiple partners (which was hitherto the preserve of men). Now the tricky thing here is that while maternity is almost always a certainty – as a woman usually has a clear chance to know the baby she gives birth to is hers hence not much demand for maternity tests even when there is polygamy – it is on the other hand harder for a man to establish whether he indeed sired a given baby. It doesn’t help that many women who are now having multiple partners tend to compartmentalize them, a situation where handsome (but not-so-well-off) Jack ends up being compartmentalized as the ‘baby daddy’ to sire the babies, and rich (but-not-so-handsome) James ends up being compartmentalized as the ‘baby daddy’ to provide for the babies, a situation which is obviously unfair to James, who will almost inevitably ask for a paternity tests once he suspects  that he is being used in such a way.

            The technology used to conduct the paternity tests has advanced over the last two decades too. A huge milestone in paternity testing was the adoption and popularization of DNA based paternity testing in the mid to late 80s, and which gave the paternity tests a level of accuracy hitherto unimaginable. Before DNA based paternity testing become an accessible possibility, people mostly had to make do with blood type tests, which were eliminatory rather than confirmatory tests. That is to say, such blood type tests would only eliminate the chances that a given man had sired a given child, but always left the possibility that the child could still have been sired by another man with a similar blood group to the man in question. DNA based paternity tests on the other hand are not only eliminatory, but also confirmatory.

            Paternity testing has also become more convenient (and generally less painful) over the last two decades. In the days when paternity testing was based on blood group typing, both the father and the son (or daughter) had to go to a medical laboratory, have blood drawn (obviously through a painful needle prick) and then wait for results – which as we have seen, would only be eliminatory. With the advent and advancement of  DNA technology however, paternity testing has become rather convenient – the only ‘intrusive’ (if we may call it that) part of the test often being a painless swab in the inner cheek to draw the DNA sample, which can be even send by mail to the testing laboratory.

            Paternity testing is also becoming cheaper and cheaper by the day. At the beginning of DNA based paternity testing, many men who were interested in establishing the paternity of their children, or children who were themselves interested in establishing their paternity were often put off by the high costs involved. At that time, the production of most of the kits used for the process was the preserve of the companies that had done initial research in the field of DNA testing and therefore gotten themselves patents. As these patents expire however, more and more companies are venturing into the production of these kits, thereby increasing competition in their production and lowering prices for the users of the technology. Ultimately, this translates into falling prices for paternity tests.

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