“It takes a village to raise a child” is more than an African proverb, and when the village is small and one parent is missing the task becomes even more challenging. Fortunately, being proactive and understanding your rights as a parent will help alleviate any issues that might arise as you take on the role of single parent. Every child has the right to a parent-child relationship with both parents, and all three deserve an opportunity to develop, enjoy and grow in the relationship.
Establishing Paternity
1. Every child has the right to know both parents and have the father’s name appear on the birth certificate. Voluntarily establishing paternity is not expensive and does not have to involve an attorney or attorney fees. Both parents may contact the State Department/Division of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Central Paternity Registry, or the Department of Community Health and request an Affidavit of Paternity. There may be a small fee for filing this document but it will ensure legal paternity is established.
Paternity Testing
2. Paternity testing is a series of genetic tests used to indicate the likelihood that a man is, or is not the biological father of a child. The most common method used today is DNA testing which are 99.9 percent accurate in determining that a man is not the father. The child can be tested at any age, and the DNA test is obtained by rubbing a cotton tipped swab on the inside of the check or DNA can be extracted from blood or other tissues. The court will determine who will pay for the paternity test. Laboratories performing paternity test should be accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB).
Financial Security
3. The law requires both parents support their children. This is true even if the pregnancy is unplanned. Children supported by one parent often do not have enough money for their needs. A child support order cannot be established if paternity is not proven.
Survivor & other Benefits
4. Medical and dental insurance may be available through the non-custodial parent’s employer, union, or military service. Medical assistance programs may be available through the local and/or state family/child assistance agencies. If something should happen to either parent, the child could qualify for Social Security, pensions, inheritance rights, veterans’ benefits and life insurance. Paternity must be established to receive these benefits.
Keep Track of Child Support Information
5. It is imperative that both parents, (the custodial and non-custodial) keep track of parent information, parenting time, (visitations), receipt of child support payments, court ordered or not, names of child support workers, attorney contacts, names of judges/referees, docket/court numbers etc. concerning the child support case. Remember to keep this information in a secure location and let someone you trust know where this information can be found in the event of an emergency.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Detra D. Davis is a technical writer with over 20 years of experience. Author of A Matter of Record: Keeping Track of Your Child Support, she is a former Public Health Educator and has taught a number of workshops promoting the importance of establishing paternity and paying child support. Detra may be reached at www.supportingourchildren.com or by mail at J. Davis & Associates Publishing, P. O. Box 4935, Cary, North Carolina 27519-4935.
December 18, 2006
December 15, 2006
Last name Ethnic origin?
As part of our nature, most of us are curious about our origins. World population has been moving intensely for the last several thousand years, and in modern societies, every person has a unique yet complex genealogical background.
To learn about their genealogy, many people recur to immigration documents, official databases and all sort of resources. Nowadays genetic technology has provided powerful tools that allow us to precisely know where our ancestors come from.
DNA testing is now a valuable tool to know our ethnic origins and the exact genetic background of our family.
Is DNA genealogical testing expensive?
DNA testing costs some money, but if we take into account what is revealed through DNA analysis, it seems pretty inexpensive. There are some DNA labs offering ancestry DNA tests for only $99. We don't reccomend these since they are quite unreliable, and sometimes they have hidden costs. Ancestry DNA analysis for elaborating your genetic and ethnic origins start at about $200 in a highly qualified DNA ancestry testing lab.
To learn about their genealogy, many people recur to immigration documents, official databases and all sort of resources. Nowadays genetic technology has provided powerful tools that allow us to precisely know where our ancestors come from.
DNA testing is now a valuable tool to know our ethnic origins and the exact genetic background of our family.
Is DNA genealogical testing expensive?
DNA testing costs some money, but if we take into account what is revealed through DNA analysis, it seems pretty inexpensive. There are some DNA labs offering ancestry DNA tests for only $99. We don't reccomend these since they are quite unreliable, and sometimes they have hidden costs. Ancestry DNA analysis for elaborating your genetic and ethnic origins start at about $200 in a highly qualified DNA ancestry testing lab.
December 12, 2006
DNA Testing - A new era
With the dawn of the new era of technology, everything seems to be possible under the sun. With high tech gadgets and innovative devices, you can detect a fingerprint, a person lying, and even determine the father of your baby through paternity test.
Since the beginning of modern technology, paternity test has quite gained popularity since rape cases have escalated to greater height. Paternity tests, today, are one of the methods being used in solving cases that involve pregnancy, rape, child claims, and for very simple reason that the mother would just like to know who the father of the baby is.
Sounds quite peculiar isn’t it? But these things really do happen and there are women who just don’t know who is the father of their baby. Paternity test is also common in situations wherein the man does not accept the truth that he is the biological father of a certain child.
Generally, paternity test are conducted through a comprehensive DNA testing and analysis of different enzymes, proteins, and HLA antigens.
The utilization of DNA, when checking for confirmations of the alleged claims of fatherhood, ahs been a breakthrough in the world of science. It is also an effective measure because, in reality, the DNA of an individual is almost exact replicas of every “somatic cell” of the parents. The combination of these DNA from the parents is united during sexual reproduction wherein these combinations will form another new cell.
The paternity test, on the other hand, has three test options available: prenatal testing, viability test, or in-home testing.
The Prenatal Paternity Test
The very first option is the prenatal testing. This is done when the pregnant mother is still on its 10th through the 13th week or 14th to 24th week of pregnancy, depending on the procedure to be used.
Mothers who undergo through this option wish to determine the paternity even before the baby is born. The baby’s DNA is enough to determine and prove the paternity of the father.
Most people contend that it is not advisable to conduct paternity test during pregnancy. In contrast, conducting paternity test during pregnancy is already reliable and effective in determining the paternity. This is because the baby’s DNA is already developed since the start of conception.
Alternatively, the prenatal paternity test may be conducted either through amniocentesis or chronic villi sampling (CVS).
When using a chorionic villi sampling, the process is conducted during the 10th through the 13th week of pregnancy. In this process, the cells from the placenta are collected. This is done by inserting a catheter through the vagina to collect cells. The ultrasound will be the one to guide the OB-GYN during the process.
In amniocentesis, the process is the same. Though, it must be done during the 14th to the 24th week of pregnancy. Also, the type of cells to be collected is the loos fetal cells embedded in the amniotic fluid. It is the fluid that is collected.
The Viability test
This type of paternity test uses remarkable samples so as to check for the DNA. This is commonly used when the supposed to be father is not present or cannot be found. In this process, they use preserved samples like hair, body tissues, and blood.
The In-Home Test
This is the most convenient procedure among the three. The in-home testing, as its name implies, is done within the comforts of one’s home.
In most cases, people who uses this kind of method is not at all determined to make such a fuss about the issue. It is usually for some personal reasons or other rationale and usually wouldn’t want other people to know about it. Though, it must be kept in mind that the results derived from this process is not admissible in court in the light of rape cases, divorce, child custody, or other legal issues where determination of paternity is important.
In this process, the DNA is collected using the buccal swab. This buccal swab resembles to the common cotton-tipped swab but has a special component known as the “Dacron.” It is then rubbed against the interior of the individual’s cheek. Several loose cheek cells stick to the swab. Here, the DNA can be obtained.
After the DNA is collected, it will be brought to the laboratory for some series of tests. It is a must that DNA samples must be in a sealed and tamper-evident packing.
Usually, paternity test results are available after 5 working days. It can also be earlier depending on the viability of the samples.
Indeed, paternity test had definitely made a major breakthrough in the world of science. Because of these innovative procedures, paternity tests are now considered as one of the most effective investigative methods in the society today
Since the beginning of modern technology, paternity test has quite gained popularity since rape cases have escalated to greater height. Paternity tests, today, are one of the methods being used in solving cases that involve pregnancy, rape, child claims, and for very simple reason that the mother would just like to know who the father of the baby is.
Sounds quite peculiar isn’t it? But these things really do happen and there are women who just don’t know who is the father of their baby. Paternity test is also common in situations wherein the man does not accept the truth that he is the biological father of a certain child.
Generally, paternity test are conducted through a comprehensive DNA testing and analysis of different enzymes, proteins, and HLA antigens.
The utilization of DNA, when checking for confirmations of the alleged claims of fatherhood, ahs been a breakthrough in the world of science. It is also an effective measure because, in reality, the DNA of an individual is almost exact replicas of every “somatic cell” of the parents. The combination of these DNA from the parents is united during sexual reproduction wherein these combinations will form another new cell.
The paternity test, on the other hand, has three test options available: prenatal testing, viability test, or in-home testing.
The Prenatal Paternity Test
The very first option is the prenatal testing. This is done when the pregnant mother is still on its 10th through the 13th week or 14th to 24th week of pregnancy, depending on the procedure to be used.
Mothers who undergo through this option wish to determine the paternity even before the baby is born. The baby’s DNA is enough to determine and prove the paternity of the father.
Most people contend that it is not advisable to conduct paternity test during pregnancy. In contrast, conducting paternity test during pregnancy is already reliable and effective in determining the paternity. This is because the baby’s DNA is already developed since the start of conception.
Alternatively, the prenatal paternity test may be conducted either through amniocentesis or chronic villi sampling (CVS).
When using a chorionic villi sampling, the process is conducted during the 10th through the 13th week of pregnancy. In this process, the cells from the placenta are collected. This is done by inserting a catheter through the vagina to collect cells. The ultrasound will be the one to guide the OB-GYN during the process.
In amniocentesis, the process is the same. Though, it must be done during the 14th to the 24th week of pregnancy. Also, the type of cells to be collected is the loos fetal cells embedded in the amniotic fluid. It is the fluid that is collected.
The Viability test
This type of paternity test uses remarkable samples so as to check for the DNA. This is commonly used when the supposed to be father is not present or cannot be found. In this process, they use preserved samples like hair, body tissues, and blood.
The In-Home Test
This is the most convenient procedure among the three. The in-home testing, as its name implies, is done within the comforts of one’s home.
In most cases, people who uses this kind of method is not at all determined to make such a fuss about the issue. It is usually for some personal reasons or other rationale and usually wouldn’t want other people to know about it. Though, it must be kept in mind that the results derived from this process is not admissible in court in the light of rape cases, divorce, child custody, or other legal issues where determination of paternity is important.
In this process, the DNA is collected using the buccal swab. This buccal swab resembles to the common cotton-tipped swab but has a special component known as the “Dacron.” It is then rubbed against the interior of the individual’s cheek. Several loose cheek cells stick to the swab. Here, the DNA can be obtained.
After the DNA is collected, it will be brought to the laboratory for some series of tests. It is a must that DNA samples must be in a sealed and tamper-evident packing.
Usually, paternity test results are available after 5 working days. It can also be earlier depending on the viability of the samples.
Indeed, paternity test had definitely made a major breakthrough in the world of science. Because of these innovative procedures, paternity tests are now considered as one of the most effective investigative methods in the society today
December 3, 2006
DNA Paternity Guide: Paternity Testing Before A Child's Birth
DNA Paternity Guide: Paternity Testing Before A Child's Birth
By JB Anthony
It is not unknown to many that men told to have fathered a child sometimes suspect if they truly are the father of the child. Now, men – and even mothers - need not wait for nine months or even years after before finding out the real or biological father of the child.
DNA testing and biomedical technology is so advanced nowadays that DNA paternity testing can be done even with the child still in the mother’s womb. This is what DNA test laboratories call the Prenatal DNA Paternity Testing.
Prenatal DNA Paternity Testing is done by collecting either one of two sample specimens from the mother’s womb: the amniocentesis or the CVS.
The amnioncentesis is the collection of the amniotic fluid that contains the fetus.
The CVS is the collection of the chorioinic villi that composes the placenta. The chorionic villi is best collected when the mother is into her 10 to 12 weeks of pregnancy. The amniotic fluid containing the unborn child’s DNA is best collected when the child is within 12 to 21 weeks in the womb. How are these specimens collected?
The collection of these specimens is very much different from DNA Paternity testing using kits or DNA paternity testing in labs where buccal swabs are used for sample collection. In a prenatal DNA paternity test procedure, an OB-Gyne will perform the procedure of collecting amniotic fluid or chorionic villi that will contain the unborn child’s DNA.
Parenting a child whom you suspect is not biologically yours can be emotionally and mentally disturbing not only for the father but for the child as well. A child can always feel whether he or she is genuinely loved or raised for the sake of obligation. Thus, it is best to perform Prenatal DNA paternity testing to clear any doubts and for peace of mind.
JB Anthony is the co-webmaster and co-promoter of www.dnapaternityguide.com. To link to our affiliate DNA Testing Laboratories, to order online DNA test kits, to find out more on DNA Testing and DNA paternity guides, to ask questions and clarifications on DNA testing procedures, please log on to www.dnapaternityguide.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=JB_Anthony
December 1, 2006
Guilt tip: DNA testing and justice - Citings
THE GUILT OR innocence of a man executed for murder is less important than adhering to legal niceties, the Virginia Supreme Court declared in late October. The court refused to use modern, highly accurate DNA testing in the case of Roger Keith Coleman, a man executed in 1992 by the Commonwealth of Virginia for the 1981 rape and murder of his sister-in-law Wanda McCoy.
The physical evidence, including semen samples, pointed strongly to Coleman's guilt. But he staunchly denied that he had murdered McCoy even as he went to his death.
The biological evidence in the Coleman case has been stored at a California testing lab for more than a decade. A group of newspapers, including The Washington Post and The Boston Globe, sought legal permission to have those samples tested again using today's more accurate DNA techniques. Virginia officials, including two attorneys general, fiercely resisted the request, maintaining that criminal proceedings and convictions must have judicial finality.
Much more was at stake than Coleman's guilt or innocence. Death penalty opponents have yet to find a modern U.S. case in which a demonstrably innocent person has been wrongfully executed. They believe that even one such case would dramatically reduce the American public's consistent support for the death penalty and eventually lead to its abolition. Death penalty proponents believe (and fear) exactly the same thing.
Today 26 states, including Virginia, permit access to post-conviction DNA testing, up from only two in 1999. The Virginia Supreme Court's refusal to use such testing in the Coleman case is particularly strange since the state has been the leader in using DNA to solve crimes. Since the state's DNA database opened for business in 1989, it has helped solve 900 crimes in which there were no known suspects. In addition, six Virginia inmates have been released based on post-conviction DNA testing. Nationally, III inmates have been released based on such tests.
In November, Virginia voters handily passed a ballot initiative for a state constitutional amendment that would make it easier for convicted felons to request modem DNA testing to prove their innocence. That amendment will not affect the Coleman case, but Gov. Mark Warner can still order that the DNA evidence be tested. Voters seem to agree that if the state is going to claim the awesome power to execute murderers, it should make every effort to insure that those it kills are in fact guilty.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Reason Foundation
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group
The physical evidence, including semen samples, pointed strongly to Coleman's guilt. But he staunchly denied that he had murdered McCoy even as he went to his death.
The biological evidence in the Coleman case has been stored at a California testing lab for more than a decade. A group of newspapers, including The Washington Post and The Boston Globe, sought legal permission to have those samples tested again using today's more accurate DNA techniques. Virginia officials, including two attorneys general, fiercely resisted the request, maintaining that criminal proceedings and convictions must have judicial finality.
Much more was at stake than Coleman's guilt or innocence. Death penalty opponents have yet to find a modern U.S. case in which a demonstrably innocent person has been wrongfully executed. They believe that even one such case would dramatically reduce the American public's consistent support for the death penalty and eventually lead to its abolition. Death penalty proponents believe (and fear) exactly the same thing.
Today 26 states, including Virginia, permit access to post-conviction DNA testing, up from only two in 1999. The Virginia Supreme Court's refusal to use such testing in the Coleman case is particularly strange since the state has been the leader in using DNA to solve crimes. Since the state's DNA database opened for business in 1989, it has helped solve 900 crimes in which there were no known suspects. In addition, six Virginia inmates have been released based on post-conviction DNA testing. Nationally, III inmates have been released based on such tests.
In November, Virginia voters handily passed a ballot initiative for a state constitutional amendment that would make it easier for convicted felons to request modem DNA testing to prove their innocence. That amendment will not affect the Coleman case, but Gov. Mark Warner can still order that the DNA evidence be tested. Voters seem to agree that if the state is going to claim the awesome power to execute murderers, it should make every effort to insure that those it kills are in fact guilty.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Reason Foundation
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group
DNA Testing: An Introduction For Non-Scientists
"DNA Testing: An Introduction For Non-Scientists" is an excellent primary source of information for the non-scientist about the details, the how-to and the why about DNA testing and paternity. Check out this resource if you are serious about DNA testing. As a sample, here is the introduction. Find the complete article in http://www.scientific.org/tutorials/articles/riley/riley.html
Introduction:
DNA is material that governs inheritance of eye color, hair color, stature, bone density and many other human and animal traits. DNA is a long, but narrow string-like object. A one foot long string or strand of DNA is normally packed into a space roughly equal to a cube 1/millionth of an inch on a side. This is possible only because DNA is a very thin string.
Our body's cells each contain a complete sample of our DNA. One cell is roughly equal in size to the cube described in the previous paragraph. There are muscle cells, brain cells, liver cells, blood cells, sperm cells and others. Basically, every part of the body is made up of these tiny cells and each contains a sample or complement of DNA identical to that of every other cell within a given person. There are a few exceptions. For example, our red blood cells lack DNA. Blood itself can be typed because of the DNA contained in our white blood cells.
Not only does the human body rely on DNA but so do most living things including plants, animals and bacteria.
A strand of DNA is made up of tiny building-blocks. There are only four, different basic building-blocks. Scientists usually refer to these using four letters, A, T, G, and C. These four letters are short nicknames for more complicated building-block chemical names, but actually the letters (A,T, G and C) are used much more commonly than the chemical names so the latter will not be mentioned here. Another term for DNA's building blocks is the term, "bases." A, T, G and C are bases.
For example, to refer to a particular piece of DNA, we might write: AATTGCCTTTTAAAAA. This is a perfectly acceptable way of describing a piece of DNA. Someone with a machine called a DNA synthesizer could actually synthesize the same piece of DNA from the information AATTGCCTTTTAAAAA alone.
The sequence of bases (letters) can code for many properties of the body's cells. The cells can read this code. Some DNA sequences encode important information for the cell. Such DNA is called, not surprisingly, "coding DNA." Our cells also contain much DNA that doesn't encode anything that we know about. If the DNA doesn't encode anything, it is called non-coding DNA or sometimes, "junk DNA."[1]
The DNA code, or genetic code as it is called, is passed through the sperm and egg to the offspring. A single sperm cell contains about three billion bases consisting of A, T, G and C that follow each other in a well defined sequence along the strand of DNA. Each egg cell also contains three billion bases arranged in a well-defined sequence very similar, but not identical to the sperm.
Both coding and non-coding DNAs may vary from one individual to another. These DNA variations can be used to identify people or at least distinguish one person from another.
Introduction:
DNA is material that governs inheritance of eye color, hair color, stature, bone density and many other human and animal traits. DNA is a long, but narrow string-like object. A one foot long string or strand of DNA is normally packed into a space roughly equal to a cube 1/millionth of an inch on a side. This is possible only because DNA is a very thin string.
Our body's cells each contain a complete sample of our DNA. One cell is roughly equal in size to the cube described in the previous paragraph. There are muscle cells, brain cells, liver cells, blood cells, sperm cells and others. Basically, every part of the body is made up of these tiny cells and each contains a sample or complement of DNA identical to that of every other cell within a given person. There are a few exceptions. For example, our red blood cells lack DNA. Blood itself can be typed because of the DNA contained in our white blood cells.
Not only does the human body rely on DNA but so do most living things including plants, animals and bacteria.
A strand of DNA is made up of tiny building-blocks. There are only four, different basic building-blocks. Scientists usually refer to these using four letters, A, T, G, and C. These four letters are short nicknames for more complicated building-block chemical names, but actually the letters (A,T, G and C) are used much more commonly than the chemical names so the latter will not be mentioned here. Another term for DNA's building blocks is the term, "bases." A, T, G and C are bases.
For example, to refer to a particular piece of DNA, we might write: AATTGCCTTTTAAAAA. This is a perfectly acceptable way of describing a piece of DNA. Someone with a machine called a DNA synthesizer could actually synthesize the same piece of DNA from the information AATTGCCTTTTAAAAA alone.
The sequence of bases (letters) can code for many properties of the body's cells. The cells can read this code. Some DNA sequences encode important information for the cell. Such DNA is called, not surprisingly, "coding DNA." Our cells also contain much DNA that doesn't encode anything that we know about. If the DNA doesn't encode anything, it is called non-coding DNA or sometimes, "junk DNA."[1]
The DNA code, or genetic code as it is called, is passed through the sperm and egg to the offspring. A single sperm cell contains about three billion bases consisting of A, T, G and C that follow each other in a well defined sequence along the strand of DNA. Each egg cell also contains three billion bases arranged in a well-defined sequence very similar, but not identical to the sperm.
Both coding and non-coding DNAs may vary from one individual to another. These DNA variations can be used to identify people or at least distinguish one person from another.
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