Who's the Daddy? Answers now in a box!
Recently the media went wild with stories about the availability of retail DNA paternity tests from Sorenson Genomicis and Identigene. Like pregnancy tests and cholesterol tests, a DNA tests can now be completed in the privacy of one’s own home. For more information on the product, see http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20071126005139&newsLang=en.
The at home kit costs about $30.00, plus there is an additional lab fee of $119.00 that must be submitted with the samples. However, before you run to a Houston-area drug store, be aware of two important facts. First, the tests are presently sold in only West Coast and Midwestern stores. Second (and most importantly) the results of an at-home DNA tests are most likely inadmissible in court to prove or disprove allegations of parentage. This is due to sample collection procedures and chain of custody issues.
Nevertheless, availability of at-home testing is another modern convenience which allows consumers to obtain parentage answers in the privacy of their own home through non-invasive procedures.
