DNA Paternity Testing Dallas, TX

This a question that I had to ask myself 12 yrs ago. I wish that there had been this information made available to me then. A paternity test andother DNA testing can be used for child support, in determining who the father is. It can help with inheritanceclaims, immigration, adoption.

Now you may be asking how accurate are these tests. It has been said that DNA testing is the most accurate in determining paternity. Each and every one of us has a unique DNA fingerprint, we inherit all of our DNA from our parents. This testing is considered to be a 100% accurate.

Testing is very simple, you take a special Q-Tip, and you swab the inside of the cheeks for 20 seconds from both the alleged father and the child if possible.You are also able to test the baby before its born, by using a sample from the umbilical cord. This sample and test is performed during pregnancy when the results are wanted sooner.

Now there are times when a Chain of Custody test is used. What this means is that they want to setup child support and visitation rights in the case of the baby.This means that the test in question and the results will hold up in a court of law.

When testing to get the most accurate results you should test both the mother and alleged father as well as the baby at the time.When you include the mother during the testing it will isolate the genes if there are any that may come from another potential father. In special cases if the father is deceased they can still test based on what is called a viability test.

If a paternity test is ordered always prepare yourself with finding out as much as you can before the test.

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This is my story on my paternity test for my daughter. Now I was young, I was 18 when my beautiful little girl was born. Was I scared, you are damn right I was. I never thought that I would be a father, but that changed. I wasnt the best boyfriend to the daughters mother, i wasnt loyal to her ever.

Dallas Paternity Testing

So when my daughter was just a baby, I wasnt able to spend time with her by myself. I had to have supervised visists and could only be done at the mother in laws house. Well the mother did what she had to do, she got on WIC, and Medicaid. Thus began the child support proceedings. When we went down to the office to begin the paper work I was informed that even though I was on the birth certificate my little girl would not get any benefits if something had happened to me. 

Well I asked how is that possible, they said that there needs to be proof that I was the father. I was upset because looking at my daughter you could tell that she was mine with out any doubt. I asked if I could take a moment to decide what I wanted to do. While being outside, I came to the conclusion that there needed to be proof somewhere that that little girl was mine. So I took it upon myself to ask for a DNA test to be ordered. 

Now I know some of you are thinking that if you had no doubt then why the test. Well after being told that if I died she wouldnt get anything. I did not want my daughter to struggle if something had happened to me. So I said that I wanted a record of it on file somewhere showing that she was mine.

 Now yes, this didnt sit well with her mother but finally after time she has realized why I did what I did. It was in the best interest of my little girl. Believe me if I had to do it again I would in a heart beat. We always say that we want the best for our kids, then if it takes getting that paternity test then just suck it up and do it. You will never regret it or to this point I havent.

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Court Ordered Paternity Test

Where you aware that only a chain of custody paternity test will hold up in court?  Although a basic paternity test is just as accurate you can expect to pay two times more for a chain of custody test. 

The extra cost is to cover the additional steps that must be taken to ensure the integrity of the DNA samples.  Throughout the entire DNA test process your specimen will be accounted for and logged. 

When you go in for a court ordered paternity test you can expect a different experience than simply getting a regular paternity test.  With a basic DNA test no government issued identification is required and no steps are taken to confirm your identity.  There is no standard for how a DNA sample is provided.  On one occasion a nice young lady showed up with young child in one hand and a used tooth brush in the other.  All do-it-yourself home DNA kits are considered “non-chain of custody”. 

As a side note, collection is where practically all errors are made.  Even with sketchy DNA labs I have not heard of an error occurring at the laboratory.  Incorrect collections with home DNA kits are extremely common and I do not advise them at all.

What to Expect From a Court Ordered Paternity Test.

Bring your drivers license and you will have to take off hats and/or optical lenses such as sunglasses.  A photo will be taken during the collection process for verification purposes.  DNA samples are most often taken by swabbing the inside of the mouth with a cotton swab.  Although it is not required you should take note that your DNA sample and the child’s DNA sample are collected and processed separately prior to being packaged and shipped to the laboratory.  I have heard of situations where an incorrect chain of custody paternity test resulted in the father having female DNA and the daughter having male DNA.  In this situation the entire DNA test was not accepted by the court and the father and daughter had to redo the paternity test.

How Much Should a Court Ordered Paternity Test Cost?

Pricing varies lab to lab, state to state and country to country.  It even varies according to how far you live from a major city.  Nowadays every city with over 100k people has a DNA collection center.  A certified lab normally charges about $375-$500 for a chain of custody DNA test using saliva samples.  However, more often than not this does not include collection fees.  It is very important that you determine all hidden costs before choosing your DNA lab.  Paternity testing is a competitive market and many labs only post part of the total cost in order to capture a larger amount of sales.

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Cheating Woman?

Maverick’s star Dirk Nowitzki had to get a paternity test in Dallas because he found out his girlfriend was not who she claimed to be.  It seems most famous men have a love child, but I am here to tell you that this is actually not limited only to famous men.  It is my experience that 1 in 3 paternity tests come back that the man is not the father. 

What does this say about the man and mother of the child?  Personally, I do not feel either one are bad people, slutty, or sex addicts.  There are several situations where monogamous women get pregnant and have no clue who the father is. 

Situation 1:  The Breakup

You wake up one day and realize that you dread being around her.  She probably realizes you have no tolerance for her annoying habits and becomes naggy out of female instinct.  Some men just quit answering the phone because they do not want to hurt the girl.  Real men will take the girl to a public place and break up with them.  Why a girl would ever prefer a formal breakup is beyond me.  My personal favorite was to dump her over MySpace.  She will be so pissed at the method that you are off the hook and she won’t even want to try to negotiate to salvage the relationship. 

Back to the point, a breakup occurs and it seems she immediately gets a new boyfriend.  The next time you see her she is sporting a baby bump.  Two years pass and you run into your ex-girlfriend at the mall holding a toddler that looks a lot like you.  Time for a DNA paternity test.

Situation 2:  The Vacation Fling

I was goody-goody on my Mexican vacations, but I can’t say the same for my guy friends.  They were good guys back home.  Most were still virgins.  However, they were opposite of everything they stood for on the senior trip in 1996 to Cancun.  I have one friend who never drinks, but converted to an alcoholic on the plane ride to Mexico.  The first night we were there he hooked up with a girl from Plano, TX, and chose not to wear a condom.  Being his first sexual experience he realized he did not like to wear condoms and it felt so good he did not pull out.  I still tease him to this day that he needs to get a paternity test in Plano, TX. 

Situation 3:  The Rebound

Similar to the breakup, the rebound occurs shortly after a couple splits.  In this version of the story the man finds a rebound.  She is gorgeous, she loves to do all the things he does, she loves sex with him, but she also loves 5 other men.  At first he felt like the lion and she was an unaware sheep walking right into his lion den.  The next thing he knows he is the victim.  But by the time he finds out she is dating 5 other guys at the same time he also finds out she is pregnant. 

Now you may be saying that although the people in this story were still kinda slutty.  Well… that is a personal belief.  Abstinence guarantees you won’t have to ever take a paternity test from a scandalous girlfriend, but it does not guarantee you won’t have a wife with a wondering eye.  That is Situation 4.  I could go on, but that is for another blog.

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The Daily Mirror Wednesday reported they may have determined the maternity of Michael Jackson’s 7 year old son Blanket.  “Helena” is a citizen of the United States and received $20,000 to birth a third son to the King of Pop.  According to the Daily Mirror’s website blanket was conceived through In vitro fertilization (IVF).  They suspect Debbie Rowe could not bare Jackson a third child due to health complications.  Blanket was born Prince Michael the Second on February 21, 2002 at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa, CA.  Although Michael Jackson is listed on the birth certificate as the paternal father, the mother is blank.

The website further reports that a friend of Michael claims Helena was chosen because she “had a Latino background but she was also a US citizen and had quite fair skin…”   and later added “He liked her because she was very attractive and seemed stable and intelligent. She was a nurse or medical assistant, which he also liked. She was around 5ft 4ins, slim, aged around 30 and had long, dark, straight hair. He said she was strait-laced, almost a girl next door type. There were no dramas with her. She knew what she had to do and got on with it.”

On a related note, the Godfather of Michael’s children Mark Lester unloaded a DNA media bomb last weekend by announcing he may be the father of Paris Jackson and Prince Michael the First.  Paris is 11 years old and has a striking resemblance to Lester’s 15 year old daughter.  Michael is the Godfather to all his children as well.  The DailyMail.co.uk reports that Mark Lester said, “It’s been a secret for so long. In 1996 Michael asked me if I would give him my sperm and I said yes. It was a gift to him, no money was paid, it was something I was honoured to do. He wanted children so badly.”

Mark Lester’s Attorney is pushing for a DNA Paternity Test, but the Jackson family is refusing.  Jermaine Jackson said, “People say things just to get attention, but those are definitely Michael’s children. You can look at the kids and tell that they are Michael’s kids.”  It is highly likely that unless there is a court ordered paternity test that the Jackson family will never agree to let the kids get tested.  Michael Jackson left a fortune behind and establishing genetic paternity to Paris and Prince Michael I could possible entitle Mark Lester to parental custody and part of the Jackson fortune.

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I heard a semi-credible estimate yesterday stating that 1 in 10 children born in Dallas, Texas, have the wrong father on their birth certificate.  Should a DNA paternity test be required for a father’s name to be on the birth certificate?

My good friend told me this story over a cup of coffee and it got me thinking.  Let’s call him “Jim”.  Freshly out of a relationship Jim was seduced by Vicky.  The passionate affair lasted for two days, and then Vicky no longer returns Jim’s calls.  During the heat of passion Jim was coerced that he did not need to wear a condom since Vicky was on the pill.  A year goes by and Jim runs into Vicky, her husband and a baby.  What should Jim do?  Daytime television teaches that men should accept that the child has a stable home and they should walk away.  If Vicky was married during their encounter then Jim could be a home wrecker. 

Establishing Texas Paternal Rights

What rights does a man have towards a child that is a genetic DNA match, but a different father’s name on the birth certificate?  Can the birth certificate be changed?  What is a birth certificate for if not to establish the rights of the genetic father?  These are some questions I was asked by Jim.  It doesn’t seem right that one man can legally steal another man’s child without the genetic father even knowing he has conceived.  I realize there are many men out there who do not want to know if they have illegitimate children.  It would shatter the life they have made for themselves, but should their beliefs overtake the rights of a father who does want to know and does care? 

Since my encounter with Jim I have asked many people their opinion.  So far a disproportionate percentage of women feel a DNA paternity test prior to paternal acknowledgement on a birth certificate is ridiculous and would only hurt those involved.  The argument is that a father is someone who plays the part of a dad, regardless of a genetic match.  Requiring a DNA test would place a wall in the hearts of men who desire to be “the” father to a newborn child.  This would also open up the door for the dead-beat genetic father to legally become engrained into the lives of their budding family. 

Where do you stand?  I think see the argument from both sides.  Men who want to know if they have illegitimate children believe a man’s rights to a child are created at conception and certified at birth.  Men who do not want to know (or women who do not want the man to know) believe a man’s rights are not genetic, but established by being present and accepting of the child at birth.�
I wrote this blog to hear what others think about a man’s DNA paternal rights so please leave a comment.

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