Paternity Questions Answered
Posted by cassie on Monday, 31 March, 2008 @ 7:40 pm
“Who’s Your Baby’s Daddy?” come up in conversation at all, or if you are just wondering if you REALLY are the daddy check out this at-home test kit that is now available. For roughly $200-$400 you can prove (or disprove) the relationship. The kits are available at Rite Aid for $30.
Participation of the child and father is required of course since you need to swab their mouths, with the mother being optional but highly recommended.
“…The paternity kits have taken their place on store shelves next to other diagnostic tests that don’t rely on DNA, including those for pregnancy, HIV and blood sugar, said Michael S. Watson, executive director of the American College of Medical Genetics.
Unlike genetic tests for health conditions, tests that use DNA to determine paternity are fairly simple to provide and fairly easy to interpret, said Watson. They’re subject to limited oversight, however, with no review required by the Food and Drug Administration and no certification required under the federal Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments, or CLIA.
The Identigene kit includes swabs for collecting cell samples from the inside of the cheeks of the child and the alleged father. Collection of the mother’s cells is optional, but strongly recommended to strengthen the results. The swabs are packaged and mailed to the Sorenson laboratory in Salt Lake City where they’re analyzed…
….Total cost is about $150, including the price of the kit and a $119 laboratory processing fee. For another $200, users can purchase validated tests that meet legal requirements for determining paternity, Fogg said.” Read the rest of the story here.
I can see how this could potentially complicate matters for some people since they could have a “surprise” child show-up or suddenly learn the kid they thought was their’s, isn’t. But overall I think it is a good idea. What do you think?