Paternity questions are nothing new. When the corpse of King Richard III was discovered under a London parking lot, DNA testing proved without a doubt that the body belonged to the king. But DNA lab analysis showed something else: Richard was not descended from the royal line. Sometime in the 1300s, a non-Tudor was sleeping in the royal bed.
Today’s aristocracy— from Hollywood, not Holyrood— has any number of such twisted plots and intrigues. A whole roster of celebrities, including Jay Z, Keanu Reeves and Steve Jobs, have been forced to prove that they had— or hadn’t— fathered a child. In fact, some say a new industry has been born among women who deliberately target a famous man.
Rumor has it that Khloe Kardashian’s biological father is O.J. Simpson. Robert Kardashian, the husband at the time of conception, died in 2003. So a posthumous DNA test would need to be performed, if anyone wanted to pursue the matter— or if the Kardashians somehow needed more limelight.
DNA Testing Offers Iron-clad Proof
DNA testing is useful for many situations, but one major motive for seeking a laboratory analysis is to establish paternity. Too many critical factors ride on the answer to ‘who’s your daddy’— custody, child support, inheritance, social security benefits and immigration, among others.
A DNA test is simple and painless. The father needs to submit a tissue sample. It could be a hair with the root intact, fingernail, blood, semen, saliva (dried, as on a toothbrush or Q-tip) or other tissue that contains DNA, the genetic material that makes us who we are. This is compared with a sample from the child. If there is a need to know before the child is born, we have options for prenatal testing as well:
- A non-invasive paternity test that’s 100% safe and gives results in just one week. It requires only blood samples from the mother and a buccal (inside the cheek) swab from the father. This test can be performed any time after the eighth week of pregnancy.
- Chorionic villi sampling is more risky because a doctor must remove a small sample from the placenta that surrounds the fetus. The procedure is performed via the vagina or through the abdominal wall.
- Amniocentesis is the collection of a sample of fluid from the sac that surrounds the fetus while it’s in the womb. This test as well as the chorionic villi sample must be performed by a doctor.
All tests are 99%-plus accurate if the man is indeed the biological father and 100% accurate if the alleged father is not related to the child.
For peace of mind and simple proof of paternity, you can obtain a kit and instructions at any of our offices. For legal purposes, such as child support, custody, or immigration we also offer an AABB-certified DNA test that is accepted by government agencies and any court of law. To learn more about which type of DNA testing would suit your needs, call one of our offices in Dade County, Broward County or Palm Beach County.
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