Before You Do Your DNA Test

Are you considering DNA paternity or DNA family relationship testing? Are you deciding whether or not to do a DNA test…..? Who should provide these services for you…..? You are about to make some of the most important choices in your life!

The decisions you are about to make will very likely have a profound impact on your life and on the lives of the people you cherish……. These decisions will influence important matters in your life such as identity and health, financial support, government benefits, and inheritance rights. Therefore, it is imperative that you make these decisions wisely.

There are two important issues you must consider:

1. Whether to do a DNA test, and

2. How to select a reliable DNA testing facility?

Currently, there is no mandatory oversight of DNA parentage testing facilities, and literally anyone, whether or not qualified, can offer DNA testing services. Therefore, YOU must know how to identify a reliable DNA testing facility. See:  How to Choose a DNA Lab  to become acquainted with the criteria you need to inquiry in selecting a DNA testing facility that is properly qualified to conduct your DNA testing.

To aide you with your decision on whether to do a DNA test, we provide you with brief descriptions of commonly encountered situations where DNA family relationship testing is often done, and we portray the impact DNA results may have on families in these situations. We also provide you with information on professional resources that are available to assist you in your specific situation.

Often DNA paternity tests are performed on newborn children. Sometimes more than one man can potentially be the child’s biological father and the mother wants to know the identity of her child’s father. In some cases, the father wants to have verified documentation of biological paternity prior to his legal acknowledgement and acceptance of fatherhood. In other cases, the parties may know who is the child’s biological father, but they may need to have official documentation of paternity, especially if the parents were not married at the time of the child’s birth. Such official documentation of paternity may be required for social security benefits, insurance, child support, inheritance, and child custody and visitation. Sometimes married couples know that the husband is not the newborn child’s father, and they need this documentation for the purpose of divorce or other legal matters. Adoptions often involve paternity tests. By proving who is the child’s biological father before the adoption, the adoptive parents are able to be certain that the true biological father has given his consent for the adoption.

The DNA paternity test results obtained upon the birth of a child are often a cornerstone for building a solid, stable foundation for a father-child relationship. Undoubtedly, most people have heard of several cases extensively covered by the media (i.e., Baby Jessica, Baby Richard, and others) in which the US Courts extracted a child from the family he/she knew and placed the child with the man of proven biological relationship. Confirmation of biological relation at birth assists the man in obtaining legal paternity and custody. Alternatively, if a man is not biologically related to the child, he may choose to become the child’s father through adoption, or he may allow the man who is biologically related the child become the child’s father.

Successful, stable father-child relationships happen when the decision to father a child is build on the knowledge of the newborn child’s genetic heredity, and on the proper establishment of legal paternity and custody.

In cases where the alleged father is deceased or unknown, the paternal grandparents are often tested to determine the likelihood that they are the child’s true paternal grandparents. In cases where the alleged father is deceased or missing, a DNA reconstruction test is also frequently performed. Such DNA testing is possible because the genes of the deceased or missing alleged father are present in his known biological family members; i.e., his parents, his siblings, his known children.

Such DNA family relationship tests allow for family connections among biological relatives. Documentation of biological relationships also assists in the child’s receipt of social security benefits, medical insurance, and family inheritance.

There are sometimes medical reasons to have a paternity test. It may be important for the child’s healthcare to know the health history of the child’s biological parents and extended family.

Adults sometimes want to find out, or confirm, who are their biological parents or siblings. This is true of adults who have been adopted. It is also true when adults receive information suggesting that his or her parent is not the person they always believed was their biological parent. Adults also frequently want to do DNA testing when they locate a possible sibling and they want to verify their relationship.

This knowledge of their biological family and ancestry provides them with the understanding to their roots, a sense of continuity, belonging, history, and order.

DNA family relationship testing is often utilized in family based immigration cases where a United States resident or citizen wishes to sponsor a relative for admission into the United States. In such cases, the sponsor and their relative are often required to prove their biological relationship through DNA testing.

These brief descriptions of commonly encountered situations where DNA family relationship testing is often done are provided to aide you in understanding the impact DNA results may have on your life. Since space limitations require generalizations, this orientation may not apply to your particular situation. We encouraged you to seek professional advice if you have questions regarding your special circumstances.

Several sources for professional guidance are provided for you on our web site in  Resources.   Additionally, if you would like to receive consultations on how to deal with various family situations before or after taking a DNA paternity test, Genetica DNA laboratories can provide you with referrals to family counselors. If you need legal advice on legal family matters, Genetica DNA Laboratories can provide you with referrals to regional family law attorneys.