It's a BIG money maker for the state
Paternity test stats show a dramatic rise in the number of individuals seeking DNA paternity testing. This new trend, along with the increased attention on paternity provided by celebrity scandals, leads to the question: How many people really need a DNA paternity test?
dnatesting.com
Paternity test stats show a dramatic rise in the number of individuals seeking DNA paternity testing. This new trend, along with the increased attention on paternity provided by celebrity scandals, leads to the question: How many people really need a DNA paternity test?
30% of Men: Not the Father?
A quick online search gives frighteningly alarming figures; many articles claim that as many as 30% of men are unknowingly raising another man’s child. This would mean that out of a class of 60 students, 20 of them are growing up calling the wrong man dad.
Where did this 30% figure come from?
This is an often misunderstood statistic provided by some paternity test labs regarding the percentage paternity tests with a ‘not the father’ result. Most paternity test labs report that about 1/3 of their paternity tests have a ‘negative’ result. Of all the possible fathers who take a paternity test, about 32% are not the biological father. But remember, this is 1/3 of men who have a reason to take a paternity test - not 1/3 of
all men. That is a huge difference!
What is the Real Non-Paternity Rate?
To determine a true non-paternity rate, scientists usually turn to various studies of children with genetic disorders. In these studies a large number of children are screened for genetic disorders, like Tay-Sachs disease or cystic fibrosis, in which the child must inherit a copy of the defective gene from both parents to show the disease. In a
June 2010 article in the LA times, biology professor Marlene Zuck says:
With all the media attention on DNA paternity testing and celebrity paternity tests, non-paternity rates are easily sensationalized. However, it seems that we as a society are truly more monogamous than daytime talk shows might make it appear.