Why is Grandparentage Testing Done?

Most people are familiar with paternal DNA testing, we have just to turn on the television and tune into shows like Gerry Springer to see the numerous women who claim that a certain man is the father of their child, while that man denies it. Springer orders the testing to find out if the baby belongs to the man or not.

However it is not widely known that grandparentage DNA testing can be done as well. There are several reasons why grandparentage DNA testing would be done. DNA testing is done to determine bloodlines on either parent's side. Grandparentage DNA testing is admissible in court to determine the biological lineage in question.

This type of DNA testing is often done because the male parentage is being questioned. The male in the situation may not be available for testing, a good example of that would be in the case of death. Perhaps the father is incarcerated, away in another country, or refuses to get the test done.

Sometimes the grandparents feel the need to have the testing done when they are uncertain that their son is truly the father of the child. They may feel the wife or girlfriend is manipulating their son in order to get child support. Grandparents can devise ways of obtaining DNA testing without first consulting the parents. When the child is visiting grandma and grandpa, it is very easy for them to take a cotton swab and obtain a DNA sample from the inside of the child's mouth and send it on to a DNA paternity testing laboratory. There is no law against grandparents obtaining DNA testing with or without parental consent. A DNA paternity testing laboratory will fill the request regardless of who asks for it or why.

Sometimes a long lost child will show up on the doorstep of the grandparents after the death of his or her parents. If the grandparents do not know this child they may ask for a DNA test. The same would hold true for any inheritance issues. If the child's legal parentage has not been established, the grandparents may not be willing to leave considerable amounts of money and assets to the child if he or she proves not to be a legal heir.

Grandparentage testing is used in immigration applications when the grandparents are in America and the grandchildren are still in their homeland. Legal DNA testing of this sort is also used in Social Security claims in America.

The grandparent testing must yield a result of higher than 1.00 to justify the likelihood that the grandchild is biologically related. The results of course would be easier to obtain when both grandparents are tested. It is very difficulty to determine the DNA compatibility with only one grandparent though both tests are offered. The biological testing of one grandparent cannot determine to any degree of accuracy the bloodlines with half the genetic information missing. This type of grandparentage DNA testing can only determine if that grandparent is not related.

For additional information Immigration DNA Testing, please contact: Legal Paternity Tests