What Paternity Test is Admissible in Court?
A paternity test is a kind of genetic test that helps to know the biological father of a child. Be it a custodian, guardian, or mother of a child who might want a child’s custody or visitation right can request a paternity test by the court. Even if the custody is not a problem, the court usually set some financial guidelines to support the child.
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Usually, the paternity test involves the collection of a DNA sample from the alleged father and child. Also, in some exceptional cases, a sample of the biological mother will be also gathered.
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Paternity Test Admissible in Court?
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Depending on your reasons and situations, you can choose to have a legal or a home test. But if you want to get it for some legal purpose like child support, custody or visitation, you must go through the legal paternity test. Compared to home test, this test has a different procedure.
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In this process, an authorized sampler will be appointed to collect the DNA samples. The sampler brings a legal sample collection kit which includes: 4 oral swabs/person, consent forms and instructions.
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The Court Approved DNA tests need an independent witness like a health professional or GP who collects the sample and verify the photo ID along with maintaining the chain of custody. The chain of custody is an essential process used in legal cases where all samples are gathered and documented precisely.
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The consent forms are also required to be filled out. These include the name, last names, email address and signatures. The samples of swabs should be collected from the test after rubbing them inside the mouth for at least 10 seconds.
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Final Thoughts
Legal paternity test results are used in several cases like alimony/child support, child custody, solving disagreements, and as proof of paternity in matters related to inheritance. The results are 99.95 accurate about the biological father of the child.
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