Can a mother refuse a paternity test?

Can a mother refuse a paternity test? This is a question that our Client Services team get asked regularly.

Can a mother refuse a paternity test?

The answer is Yes. A mother can refuse a paternity test. However, AlphaBiolabs can still perform a Peace of Mind (non-legal) paternity test without mom’s DNA, as long as the alleged father has parental responsibility for the child.

Establishing paternity of a child can be important for many reasons. The potential father may want to know if the child is his so he can establish a relationship with the child. It has implications for financial support and inheritance rights. On the other hand, a man may be asked for child support for a child that he does not believe is his. Even if a man disputes paternity, if he has been named by the mother as the father of her child, he will have to pay child maintenance until DNA testing proves otherwise. In all these cases, a mother may refuse a paternity DNA test.

How to ask your partner for a Paternity Test

The reasons for refusing are wide-ranging and some downright harrowing. Some involve mothers being hesitant of the process and the implications involved. Some are avoiding the forced continuation of abusive relationships. Some are uncooperative as they simply do not want the father to be involved in any way with the upbringing of their child. Relationships may have broken down, the parents may have moved on and started new relationships, the mother may have identified another potential father figure for her child.

How do DNA paternity tests work?

Paternity tests prove parentage by analysing DNA within samples provided by the family members. By looking at specific DNA markers in each sample, it is possible to identify which half of the child’s DNA is inherited from the mother and which half is from the father. When testing a biological father, both child and father will share identical sections of DNA at each marker. When the tested man is not the biological father there will be differences in the DNA. The results are 100% accurate. Our peace of mind DNA testing kits can be posted directed to your home from our laboratory. Full instructions tell you how to simply and painlessly collect your DNA samples (usually cheek buccal cells) using the swabs contained in the kits. After returning the samples to our in-house laboratory for analysis, the results are available in 3 business days.

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A mother could refuse a Peace of Mind paternity test. However, a mother’s permission is not needed and the DNA test could still be performed if the father has parental responsibility for the child. Samples can just be analyzed from the alleged father and the child. No DNA sample is needed from the mother. However, it is recommend that the mother should be at least aware of the test if not directly involved and it is viewed that motherless testing could be “harmful to the child, as well as the family unit as a whole”. All reputable testing laboratories would strongly recommend the inclusion of the mother’s sample for this reason alone; however, there are also scientific reasons to include the mother in a test. When the mother is included it is possible to identify which of the child’s DNA comes from her, leaving the paternal DNA to compare against the alleged father. Probability of paternity can thus be calculated with much greater certainty when the mother is tested.

Peace of Mind paternity tests are for personal information only, and cannot be used for any legal reasons.

If you need a legal DNA test, click here.

If you’re unsure on which DNA relationship test is right for your particular case, please visit our website. Alternatively, contact us via Live Chat or call now at 727-325-2902.