DNA-testing used to be quite an expensive and difficult process. There were not many labs that conducted these kinds of tests so you had to travel a long way. Nowadays, testing for legal paternity has become a lot easier and more affordable. Legal paternity tests are used as evidence in a court case to prove paternity. There are many kinds of DNA tests, but not all of them are admissible in court. Therefore, it is important to choose a legal paternity test. A legal paternity test must be conducted by a licensed or court appointed laboratory. These kinds of laboratories deliver great accuracy and can therefore deliver legally acceptable proof of paternity.
Which laboratory should you use?
A legal paternity test must be conducted by a licensed laboratory. You can make an appointment at this laboratory or have a testing kit sent to your house. A DNA paternity test to perform at home includes several swabs, needles, tubes and stickers. The father must take a swab and rub it on the inside of his cheeks and the mother must draw blood with a small needle that is similar to the needle used for insulin level testing. The DNA of the baby can be found in the mothers’ blood and not in her saliva. Therefore, only blood can be used for accurate testing. The test must be done with thoroughly cleaned and dry hands in order to not contaminate the swabs. The swabs and the blood must be placed in the tubes and labeled properly after which they should be sent to the lab.
The blood of the mother contains the DNA of the baby after the seventh week of the pregnancy with which it can be determined whether the father is related to the baby. Therefore, it is not possible to do the test earlier than the seventh week.
What happens after the test?
In the lab, two separate professionals will conduct several tests with the saliva and the blood, with which they can determine the relation of the father to the baby. Because these tests are conducted by several professionals and then compared for correlation, they are very accurate. Because of the high accuracy, these tests are admissible in court and can be entered as proof of paternity, after which a judge will determine whether or not the father has to pay alimony to support the development of the child.