23 pairs of chromosomes

Bryn Williams-Jones, a professor at the Université de Montréal Department of Social and Preventive Medicine and director of bioethics programs has labeled some genetic testing companies as recreational genomics: “One company offers to evaluate the potential risk of 20 or so hereditary diseases. This is completely unreasonable. Given what some people may do with this information, I find these tests a great concern.”

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090218200316.htm

He’s not the only one!   This sort of thing gives ethical DNA testing a bad name!

The lurid coverage of the birth and now apparently the disputed paternity of the child in Eastbourne highlights some important issues.   From the media furore it appears that all ethical considerations and indeed the confidentiality of those concerned has been disregarded.  OK on the confidentiality issues the 2 “new” prospective fathers have given up their rights to confidentiality in return for..well you can read that for yourselves in the coverage.

But the confidentiality of the child?  In fact what about the best interests of the child - are they being served by what we see?  If you had read the voluntary code of Practice on Paternity Testing you might think not!

Paternity testing can be a life changing event and where the situation is in dispute perhaps even more so, so to see it being played out in something akin to the “Jerry Springer show in print” is not one an ethical paternity testing company likes to see.

Have you been following the trail of articles in the media about “discreet” DNA testing?  The best of these is definitely by Peter aldous writing in of all things the New Scientist.   Of course as we all know it’s illegal to conduct any type of DNA testing without the consent of the individuals being tested - the Human Tissue Act tells us so.  But it seems that some companies have been sailing a bit close to the wind, let me explain.

Peter’s investigation found that several companies were perfectly happy to receive and test samples gathered without the knowledge and therefore consent of an alleged miscreant.  But the samples were to be tested by a laboratory outside of the UK and therefore outside of the jurisdiction of the Human Tissue Act.  I don’t know about you but showing the cost your discreet DNA test in Sterling seems wrong.  In the past year or so several companies operating in the UK have had to change their websites to inform customers that this form of testing is illegal in the UK - yet they still advertise the service!!

Paternity fraud is where individuals or companies set out to deceive other individuals, companies or agencies of the Government in order to gain some form of benefit.   It is not merely, as some sources would have you believe, when a man has been entrapped or duped unfairly by an unscrupulous woman - men perpetrate fraud too!   We have even seen cases where “alleged” children seek to prove a genetic relationship with a recently deceased “relative”.

As the technology behind DNA testing has simplified (mouth swabs replacing the need for blood samples), along with the growth of the Internet, access to paternity testing has increased - the potential for fraud has grown.

Whilst there are a few highly public cases the lack of available data means that we do not know the true extent of the problem.   Classic examples of paternity fraud include the magistrate who sent his brother along to have a DNA sample taken in his place to avoid the responsibility of being declared the father of a child(1) , and the businessman who chose to make up the results(2) rather than send the actual samples off for testing - both ended up in jail.

The advent of “home DNA testing” where no independent sampler is required has significantly increased the potential to defraud.   So, how can you trust the DNA test result?

The first step is to choose a fully accredited testing company who offers what may be termed a “Legal DNA test” of a “court approved DNA test”.   These are tests which are carried out to independently accredited standards and which ensure that the “chain of custody” is maintained.   The chain of custody guarantees that they are from whom they say they are form and that they have been taken by an independent sampler and have not been interfered with in any way!

OK, here’s MY definition of paternity fraud guardian.co.uk
‘Why I told my husband my lover’s child was his’, by the woman at … Daily Mail

Even though it is now possible to do a prenatal paternity test using only the mother’s blood - and samples from the alleged father(s) - to determine the paternity of the child as early as 13 weeks into the pregnancy official guideance is against this practice.

In a letter to the Dept of Health dated 26th Feb 2008 on the issue the Human Genetics Commission stated that “… the capacity of this technique to identify fetal sex, raises concerns that it will be used for the purpose of sex selection for nonmedical reasons. Its potential to resolve uncertain paternity may also constitute cause for concern where obtaining consent to the analysis of samples from a putative father is not carefully overseen.

The current coverage of the topic in the media only confirms the ethical viewpoint that this form of DNA paternity testing is not something that should be undertaken by DNA companies.   Indeed none of the accredited bodies on the Ministry of Justice list do offer such a test - just those who are either based in other countries or merely act as agents for laboratories outside of the UK.

PATERNITY tests are being carried out by DNA laboratories on unborn children while they are still in the womb, enabling their mothers to abort them if they …

Illegal immigrants to be DNA tested under new crackdown in France
Daily Mail, UK - 26 Jan 2009
By Peter Allen France’s hard-line new immigration minister is set to implement legislation that would allow DNA testing of new arrivals, he has said. …