A DNA paternity test
is the only method available to establish the relationships between
a father and child with any degree of certainty. The number of men
who choose to satisfy their curiosity or who are forced to respont
to a legal question continues to steadily increase. About 300,000
paternity test are performed annually in the United States, with
more occurring worldwide.
Advances in technology and the larger number of tests being
performed have lowered the price of DNA paternity tests. Sample
collection has been simplified to the point where home DNA paternity
test collection kits can be ordered off the Internet. Many companies
that offer DNA paternity testing will provide collection kits free
of charge. However, unless payment for the analysis accompanies the
samples when they are returned, the test will not be completed.
Prices for DNA paternity tests have dropped dramatically, typically
ranging from $100 to $250. But for many low-income men and families,
even that amount is high enough to prevent them from testing.
In some cases, there are limited
opportunities for free DNA paternity testing. For example, DNA Diagnostics
Center (DDC), the world’s largest private paternity testing company, recently
offered free DNA paternity testing to families unable to afford the regular
fees. Twenty Cincinnati-area families were chosen based on need to receive free
DNA paternity testing. Other qualified families received testing at half price.
There are families everywhere who desperately need free DNA paternity testing
for evidence in child support, child custody, inheritance and other legal cases,
but who are unable to come up with the means to afford the test.
The state of Florida has proposed offering free DNA paternity testing at birth.
The proposal includes free testing for the mother's partner and financial
incentives to hospitals who perform the tests. The idea behind the free DNA
paternity testing is to establish and document responsibility from the
beginning, and avoid later legal struggles over child support and custody.
In addition to families who cannot afford DNA paternity testing, some men who
are being required to prove the non-existence of a biological relationship feel
that they should not be required to pay for a DNA paternity test. Many father
advocacy groups relate stories of "paternity fraud," where women allege that a
man is her child's father simply to receive support payments. If the supposed
father cannot afford a DNA paternity test, they are often required pay child
support. To combat cases of paternity fraud, several states now require counties
to provide free DNA paternity testing in some contested cases.
