Paternity Testing in California
Paternity Test Accuracy in the State of California
As the most populous state in the United Sates, California sees thousands upon thousands of cases per year that dealing with establishing paternity. In 99% of these cases the primary method used to establish paternity is the use of DNA evidence that can confirm or deny the fatherhood of a child based on the matching of DNA samples obtained from the child, the mother and the suspect father.
The accuracy of DNA tests has been proven to be over 99.9% reliable. This is due in part to the fact that no two people have the same DNA. The rare occasion where two people might (but are not guaranteed) to have the same DNA would be in the case of exact twins. DNA is the building block of who we are and no matter if we are 21 or 91 our DNA will be exactly the same as the day we were born. What's more, even after we pass on DNA can be extracted from hair samples and bone fragments. DNA sampling has been used to help identify fragments of bones hundreds of years old.
When a paternity test is taken the process in California is quite simple and can be done with relative ease. DNA is collected from the child and then is compared against a DNA sample obtained from the mother of the child. By comparing these two they can match up the 50% of the chromosomes that belong to the mother. This leaves the other half of the chromosomes that will only match the biological father.
The next step involves taking a DNA sample from the suspected father and comparing it against markers and bands present in the chromosomes that have been identified in the child's DNA that belong to the father. When a band match is found through the use of probe markers in the DNA, the number of bands to match is increased and another independent test is performed; the more bands that are matched, the greater the certainty of paternity. In the State of California the courts require at least two distinct band matches to take place as a minimum for declaring paternity.
So when would a test of paternity not be accurate in California ? Truth be told, there are very few conditions that would invalidate a paternity test based on DNA evidence. However, items such as DNA contamination and uncertainty of the source of DNA are two items which may invalidate a paternity test. The good news is that this problem is easily solved by performing another paternity test using new samples obtained from all parties involved.
The accuracy of DNA test in California and around the world is thanks to the unique DNA markers that each of us has. The chances that two individuals (who are not identical twins) have the same DNA are one in several billion. To date, there is no recorded existence of two people having the same DNA except for identical twins. As such, this method has proven its reliability in not only the courtroom but also in the laboratory.
Paternity testing in California can be performed outside of the courtroom, and many companies now offer at-home testing where they will analyze samples that you collect using a buccal swab that is sent in to their laboratories. Many times people will use this method when they wish to establish paternity but are not interested in pursuing child support or other legal action against the alleged father.