Thanks to modern laboratory techniques and knowledge of the rules of inheritance, establishing paternity is no longer a problem today. Based on the analysis of the smallest fragment of the human body, it is possible to find out the origin, determine the degree of kinship, and also exclude or confirm paternity. For this purpose, a DNA test or a serological test is performed, i.e. an analysis of the characteristics of blood groups.
Paternity determinationviaDNA testingis becoming more and more popular. In cells of the body equipped with a cell nucleus, each of us has our own genetic information, different from other people, encoded in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). This information, thanks to the special structure of DNA, is passed on to the child by biological parents and is responsible for its biological features. The ability of cells to reproduce the same DNA sequences is the basis of inheritance, i.e. the transfer of features to the next generations. When we are born, we take over some of our genes from our father and some from our mother. Based on the DNA test results, it is possible to exclude paternity with 100% certainty, but also to confirm it with a probability bordering on certainty, amounting to 0.9999999999, assuming that the mother and the alleged father of the child are not related to each other. Most paternity tests are done when a woman wants maintenance or when it comes to dividing property. Often, DNA analysis is commissioned by men who want to be sure of their paternity. Only the results obtained in a certified laboratory are reliable for the court. The sample must be taken by an authorized person in the presence of the parents (on the court's order, the tests may be performed without the child's mother's participation). It is also necessary to prepare a protocol.
Paternity determination: what is needed for DNA testing?
Properly performed genetic tests are tedious. You have to have complicated equipment, they also require sterile conditions and time. The interested party has to take into account high costs (PLN 2,000-3,000). The longest waiting time is for the results of a genetic blood test. In a forensic paternity investigation, blood is drawn from the child, mother, and alleged father.
But blood is not required for DNA analysis. All you need is a hair (preferably with a root), a piece of nail, a fragment of the epidermis, mucosa. In special situations it can be useda used toothbrush, nipple, or even a spit out chewing gum.
How is DNA testing done?
If the test results are not to be evidence in court, the material for the test can be downloaded independently and sent to the laboratory by mail.
- At home
To collect, for example, a fragment of the mucosa from the inside of the cheek, you need a disposable kit, which can be obtained at the laboratory. The kit is a few sticks with cotton balls and test tubes.
The collection consists in scraping the mucosa - that is, rubbing the cheek with a cotton pad several times (according to the instructions). Two hours before that, the test person should not eat or drink anything. The swabs must not be touched, because the genetic material of someone else will make it difficult or impossible to perform a reliable DNA analysis.
After collecting the swabs, leave them in the air for two hours to dry. They cannot touch anything. Dried ones are placed in test tubes. Each sample should contain information about the race and sex of the respondent as well as his personal data. - In the laboratory
After marking the delivered samples (to exclude a mistake in identification), the isolation (isolation) of DNA begins. The material is treated with reagents that dissolve the cell membranes. DNA is separated from the rest of the cells in special centrifuges and collected on the prepared membrane.
Once the pure DNA of a specific person is obtained, the multiplication stage begins. Typically, a polymerase chain reaction is used for this, which makes it possible to create countless copies of DNA. Even a trillion pieces of DNA can be "produced" in 30 minutes. These copies, and not fragments of our own DNA, will be used in the last, most important part of the study - determining the characteristics of the multiplied material.
Data is entered into a computer that thanks to an appropriate program, it performs a comparative analysis, i.e. it compares all the characteristic features present in the samples, i.e. the degree of kinship between the tested persons is determined.To avoid errors, each group of samples is tested and assessed two or even three times.
The results are provided to interested persons in a form that has been previously agreed between the parties - usually in person, but also by phone after entering a password, by registered mail or by specially coded e-mail.
Paternity Determination: Serological Blood Test
In the investigation of paternity, sometimes a serological examination is carried out, i.e. an analysis of the characteristics of blood groups. A blood sample is enough for this. Each human blood group has a unique pattern. They are passed on by biologicalsparents. When examining the relationship, it is necessary to determine whether the child's blood contains the same features that were found in the mother and alleged father. Paternity is ruled out if the child shows a blood type trait that is absent neither in the mother nor in the father.
Confirming paternity in accordance with the law in Poland:
In Poland, paternity can be confirmed in three ways:
- Presumption of paternity. If the child was born during the marriage or within 300 days from its termination or annulment, it is assumed that the mother's husband is the father of the child. The exception is when the mother remarries during these 300 days.
- Recognition of the child. The man voluntarily - in court, notary public - declares that the child comes from him and that he is his father. A child can be recognized regardless of age, even unborn, when the pregnancy is confirmed by a doctor. Only a child who formally has no father can be recognized. Mother's consent is always needed, and if she is an adult, also the child's consent.
- Paternity determination. It is carried out when a man refuses to voluntarily recognize a child. The application to the court may be submitted by the mother or the child herself, if the child is of legal age. It is unacceptable to establish paternity before the birth of the child.