Paternity testing seems to have begun in the 1920's and the type of testing used was done by blood typing but the accuracy of such testing was very poor with a rate of only about 30% accuracy. Later in the next decade serological testing was developed, but this too was pretty inaccurate with a rate of about only 40% accuracy. Many states didn't recognize paternity testing and unless a man could prove that he was out of the country or unable to father a child then he was the responsible party.
By the 1970's more accurate testing was developed and the labs began to use what is known as HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigens) testing which was still not 100% effective; however it offered 80% accuracy and became the accepted method of paternity testing. The primary reason this was not 100% accurate was because the HLA types are often shared between close relatives.
The next decade after that, in the 1980's we began to see great strides being made in DNA testing. In short, no 2 humans share the same DNA. This type of testing was called RFLP DNA testing and it took quite some time for the results to be returned; however the accuracy of this type of testing was 99.99% leaving little doubt in anyone's mind as to whom the parentage of the child is. Basically, half the DNA extracted from the child would match the mother while the remaining half of course would match the father.
In the 1990's we saw another major breakthrough in DNA testing as a process called PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) DNA testing was developed. With this type of testing, less blood was needed from the donors, and the time for the results to develop is much faster than with RFLP testing. In fact, many different samples can be taken from a single drop of blood through this testing method. PCR testing has become the standard in all types of testing including Paternity Testing, Criminal Forensics and all other such tests.
The question of paternity usually comes up when a woman is trying to establish that a man is the father of her child in order to secure child support assistance in taking care of the child. The necessity of the test will generally arise when the male denies that a child is his, or in many cases where the monogamy of a relationship was in doubt.
With the scientific advances that have been seen over the last couple of decades, there is no longer any doubt as to whether or not a man is the father of a child due to the high accuracy of the tests involved. There are home paternity tests available on the market today that will garner the same results as those taken in a lab setting; however they are generally not admissible in court at this time because of the ability to improperly get the samples. When it comes to proving paternity in the court of law you must get the legally sanctioned DNA testing done.
After finding himself in a complicated personal situation, Brad did extensive research into home paternity testing. He is currently a writer and his work is featured on the Paternity Tests at Home website.
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