Gone are the days of going through invasive procedures to get answer about paternity during a pregnancy. There are certain situations that call for immediate answers as far as who the father of the baby is, but putting the baby at risk had always been a concern in the past when amniocentesis and Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) were the only options.
Ethical Reasons Prevented Prenatal Testing to Discover the Father’s Identity
In addition to these tests being invasive, they were often difficult to get because doctors did not always agree with this type of testing or find it a sufficient need to endanger the baby. Prenatal paternity testing is a delicate topics due to the ethical issues surrounding it. Risk risks appear to outweigh the benefits according to the health experts at nhs. Some physicians were not willing to perform these kids of tests, particularly when finding out the father’s identity was the sole reason for doing it.
The Latest Technique is Non-Invasive
However, recent medical developments show that a simple blood test on the mother during her pregnancy can offer answers on paternity. Apparently, the mother’s blood contains bits of DNA from the growing fetus. This removes the need to involve the fetus at all because nothing enters the womb and the baby is left untouched.
According to an article published in Popular Science, the latest prenatal paternity testing “requires only a blood sample, from which fragments of DNA from the fetus that get loose in the mother’s blood stream” are obtained and studied to identify the baby’s gender, as well as who the father is.
How Accurate Are These Tests?
The results of the new blood testing are surprisingly accurate. A study published in 2012 worked with 21 women to determine the accuracy of paternity testing using a sampling of the mother’s blood, which contains fetus DNA. The non-invasive procedure was done early in the pregnancy. A blood sampling was taken from the alleged father at the same time.
Scientists concluded that although one participant provided a sample with insufficient fetal material to get a clear reading, the remaining 20 women had 100 percent accurate results.
Do These Tests Hold Up in Court?
There are times when the paternity test is done in order to establish a relationship with the father so he can be held responsible for the child. Often times, additional proof is required to indicate that the man is indeed the biological father.
Do the blood tests done for prenatal paternity testing count as proof? Yes, they can, as long as the results are analyzed by an accredited lab. AABB is an association that has set strict guidelines for labs to follow in accordance with the FDA. If the lab is not AABB accredited, the results are ineligible for use in court.