I don’t understand why families go to court over issues involving children. Courts take lots of your time and even more of your money. The Family Court of Massachusetts alone orders more than 4000 paternity tests each year. These families are paying to file child support or paternity suits, many are paying attorneys to represent them, and most are spending a lot of time waiting in the courtroom for their turn to be heard and ruled upon. All this for a judges order saying a man has to pay child support?
Most of those 4000 court ordered paternity test had to be a result of peace of mind issues. You’ve got a guy saying he’s not going to financially support a child before he knows the child is his. The best way for him to know is with a DNA test.
Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like most men who are able would be more than willing to support a child they know they fathered. Most would do it without a judge telling them they had to. In fact, most men who are court ordered to pay child support are probably more resentful and less likely to pay up than those who aren’t court ordered.
The bottom line is paternity testing is convenient and affordable. Why not try to settle everything outside the court room in order to avoid the cost and stress of it all? In the end, if you can’t work something out your DNA test results are court admissible.
If you need advice, there are some good family attorneys out there who may be able to help resolve the situation outside the court room.
There are a number of reasons why home DNA testing is the best option for gaining peace of mind when it comes to paternity. The testing is confidential, since it can be done in the privacy of your home. Secondly, home DNA testing is usually less expensive than other options, because there are no collection fees. Finally, a home DNA test is convenient, because you can complete the test whenever you have the time. Those factors aside, people who want peace of mind should always consider legal paternity testing options.
Legal DNA test doesn’t mean results are sent to court. It doesn’t mean child support requirements are automatically issued after results come out. The term “legal DNA test” means only that your DNA test results will be admissible in court IF you ever need them. Here are a few reasons why you may consider legal testing instead of a home DNA test.
- Accuracy – Mistakes can be made when you collect samples yourself. The collection process itself isn’t super complicated, but an experienced collector will make sure samples are taken and stored properly. After all, accuracy is the most important feature of a paternity test.
- Cost – Although the cost of a home DNA test is generally less than a legal test, the long term cost can be much higher. If you get a home test and then decide you want to use the results in court, you’ll have to start over with a legal test. The cost of a legal test alone is much less expensive than having to do two tests.
- Service – It’s always nice to know the job is getting done right. With a legal DNA test there’s no confusion. An experience collector takes the samples and transports them to the lab for you. You don’t have to worry about anything except showing up for your appointment.
Those are a few factors that should go into your decision on which type of DNA test to choose. As always, make sure you choose an accredited and experienced laboratory to do your test, or you risk results that are not accurate.
For more information check out:
Home DNA Test
Legal DNA test
When paternity must be determined before a child is born, prenatal paternity testing is available. DNA testing while pregnant is more invasive than paternity testing after birth, so parents should weigh all options before deciding to move forward. Once you decide a prenatal paternity test is needed you have two options:
CVS - Chorionic Villus Sampling – Usually completed between weeks 8 and 14 of pregnancy, the CVS is an invasive procedure. During the procedure, a catheter is inserted into the cervix, and suction is used to collect a small sample of chorionic villi. Buccal swabs are collected from the inside of the cheeks of the mother and potential father. A comparison is made between the samples. CVS paternity testing is as accurate as testing done after birth.
Amniocentesis – Usually completed between weeks 14 and 20 of pregnancy, the amniocentesis is also invasive. A doctor uses a needle to transabdominally withdraw approximately 10ml of amniotic fluid. Again, cheek swabs are collected from mother and potential father and compared.
Not knowing paternity can be extremely difficult to families. After weighing the risks to the fetus many parents decide it’s important to know paternity before birth.
For more information about testing procedures visit prenatal paternity test page.
Today’s technology allows DNA testing labs to provide non-invasive DNA testing 
using buccal swabs. Buccal swab DNA tests have many benefits over blood samples. They are easy to transport, easy to store, painless to collect, and as accurate as any blood sample. The benefits are leading to decreasing prices to consumers because of more efficient shipping and testing methods. However, DNA collection using buccal swabs still raises concerns among many consumers.
Many people still feel that DNA testing using a blood sample is the only accurate way of testing for relationships. We receive calls from clients who have completed non-invasive buccal swab tests with us. They don’t believe the test results and want to do the testing again using blood samples.
Non-invasive DNA testing using buccal swabs is as accurate as DNA testing using blood samples.
