Proofs Of Paternity
It is very important to establish paternity and protect the rights of your child. Naming a legal father ensures that the child will receive child support as well as other benefits normally granted to heirs (social security, veterans benefits, etc).
DNA
In the old days, it is very difficult to establish paternity if there were no records or anything to attest the relationship of child and father. With the advent of DNA testing today, paternity can be established with almost 100% accuracy.
Except for identical twins, your DNA is as unique as your fingerprint. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) refers to your genetic makeup like the color of your hair and eyes, skin tone, height, and others.
The child gets one-half of his DNA from his mother and the other half comes from his father. Comparing the babys DNA with that of the biological mother will eliminate the genes inherited from her. What remains are the DNA of the father. A comparison of probes between the father, mother and the child can establish paternity with 99.9% accuracy.
There are two ways of getting DNA samples. One is through the collection of a blood sample and the other is through a Buccal Swab. This is a procedure where a swab is rubbed on the inside of the cheek to collect saliva and tissue where there is DNA.
Blood tests
Before the DNA tests today, there was the blood test. Although not as accurate as the DNA test, it can still narrow down the possibility of paternity to a child.
In this method, white blood cell antigens are examined and compared to identify (or exclude) a childs father. However, it can rule out potential fathers by comparing blood types. (Example: A mother and father having both type A blood cannot have a child with type O, B, or AB. The antigens are not present at all.)
Challenging paternity
If a person legally challenges paternity, a civil suit must be filed in a Family Court. If the judge orders DNA testing, the parties will pay to have the test performed and interpreted.
If paternity is confirmed, the father will be ordered to pay child support. Other issues (custody, visitation, and other rights) will then be addressed later. On the other hand, if the father does not wish his parental rights, termination is also done through the court.
Other paternity tests
If there is need to establish paternity during pregnancy, there are two ways to do them, though they both need a doctors consent because they contain risks. They are CVS where a sample of the uterus wall tissue is taken and Amniocentesis where a small sample of the amniotic fluid is gathered both from the mother.
If done after pregnancy, DNA samples are taken from the child via Buccal Swab (inside cheek swab) and taking a small sample of the umbilical cord to gather DNA.
From the father, samples can be had from tissue samples such as skin, blood, hair, semen and saliva.
With todays scientific advances, establishing paternity is not as difficult as before. What is important, however, is that this move can mean the happiness and security of a child as he or she goes through life.