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DNA paternity tests

On Behalf of | Aug 14, 2019 | Family Law

In Hawaii and across the United States, DNA paternity tests are now commonly used in courtrooms to determine if a man must provide child support. Sometimes, DNA can determine whether a parent should have custody of a child. DNA test results will inform the court about a man’s legal duties toward a child. A man who is not the child’s true biological parent is not legally responsible for taking care of the child. A DNA paternity test provides close to 100% accurate results.

An unmarried woman who conceives a child cannot automatically assume that her partner is the baby’s legal father. Instead, the man is called an “alleged father.” His name is not mentioned on the child’s birth certificate. However, an alleged father can later become the child’s legal parent based on positive DNA paternity test results. In this case, a judge will inform the father that he must pay child support. The court may even grant the father legal custody of his child.

Although many dads have tried to dodge their legal parental responsibilities, positive DNA test results have often caused these fathers to acknowledge their legal responsibilities. Different states have specific methods for establishing paternity. An alleged father can choose to work with an AABB Laboratory. A family services agency can determine whether a man is the child’s biological father. Courts also have the authority to decide whether a man is a child’s legal dad.

Most divorced men who are in this situation should probably get DNA paternity tests. Any man who is in this predicament may want to set up a consultation with a family law attorney. A lawyer could offer legal assistance in cases where biological fathers need to pay child support or wish to have custody of their children.

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