A Home DNA Test, the Pros and Cons
Nowadays, you don't have to leave the comforts of your own home to avail of a DNA paternity
test. There quite a number of home kits that you can purchase over the counter. But these home kits have their
advantages and disadvantages.
Let's take a look at the benefits first...
- It's more affordable. Since with At-Home DNA Testing you won't have to pay for professional labor in
conducting the same, you'd be able to enjoy enormous savings on the process. For a professional service, you will most probably pay a
fee of $125 or more. But with a do it yourself (DIY) home kit, you'd only have to pay an average of $25. That's an 80% savings right
there and then!
- Confidentiality is assured. Since you're the one who will be conducting the home DNA paternity test, you can
limit the number of people who will know the results. You can even keep the results for yourself, if that is what you wish. You won't
have to worry about other people prying into something which consider as intimately personal. This will help avoid perceived
embarrassments, and can even preserve relationships if ever such will be strained as a result of the test.
- Fast results. Most services who are offering a DNA home test promise delivery of the results within a week's
time. The way it goes is that, upon ordering, these companies will send over the home kit. You can conduct the sampling yourself.
Thereafter, after following their directions, you can send over the sample to their labs. They will get back to you for the results.
The expedience of the process makes it very convenient and flexible enough for anyone's schedule, no matter how tight it
is.
Now, for the disadvantages...
- A DNA Paternity Self Test is generally not admissible in the courts of law. The reason? It's because the test passed through what is legally called a
"chain of custody." A chain of custody refers to the number of hands upon which the sample has passed through. The law would rather
promote the preservation of the integrity of the sample. If it passed through many hands before reaching the court, the possibility of
tampering will be bigger.
- A home DNA paternity test can pass through an admissible level of this "chain of custody," but a formal
request for the same has to be made, and a higher price, ranging from $400 to $600, has to be paid.
- A DNA test conducted by a professional is not really that expensive. Depending on the earning capacity of the party involved,
the difference between a conventional DNA test and a home test is miniscule and negligible.
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