Continuing from where we left off yesterday, once the father is confirmed, the expectant parents are free to plan things well in advance of the birth. Many men might be more likely to commit to child support, and even chip in for prenatal care, if they’re sure they are the father. Even if they don’t, the woman then knows that she’s in it alone and has time to decide whether or not to seek legal recourse.
There are situations where a man might press for the paternity test because he wants to know as soon as possible if he’s the father. The motivation could be the uncertainty of a casual relationship, the suspicion of marital infidelity, or legal issues. While in some cases the answer might be painful, not knowing until after the baby’s born – or ever – could be more so.
Establishing paternity during pregnancy could be better for the child in a lot of cases. The legal dna test results give people a chance to work out the details months before the birth. Otherwise the mother is dealing with the stress of not knowing who the father is, giving birth, caring for a newborn, and then finding out who dad is and what to do about it. Dad, if he’s still in the picture, finds out after baby’s arrived. The new paternity science seems about to make this approach bass ackwards.
Will the new test hold up in court? Parents aren’t the only ones who end up there. Some criminal cases involve questions of paternity as do other legal matters such as inheritance. The AABB, which certifies tests as being admissible in child custody cases, is looking at the new prenatal tests. Both Ravgen and Natera are still compiling and publishing their data, so it will be a while before their products see a courtroom.
For now, the new paternity test is reserved for private use. In the end, it comes down to learning the truth about the pieces forming a biological family, so you can help decide how they should fit together.
Provided in part by: paternity tests uk