One In 25 Fathers is not Biological Parent

Here is an interesting statistic: according to a recent study in England, about 4% of all children born in the country are not fathered by the person claimed, according to DNA tests.

The authors of the study say that governments and society have not yet woken up to how DNA testing and genetic profiling are lifting the lid on a "Pandora's box" of hidden sexual behavior or how the results might affect individuals, family relationships, or public health.

Their review of estimates of so-called paternal discrepancy over more than 50 years suggests that the father was not the natural parent in between 1% and 30% of cases. The team from Liverpool John Moores University agreed that the figures, drawn from studies of men and women seeking proof of paternity, might be exaggerated because uncertainty over fatherhood is usually the reason for tests.

I'd suggest that you read all the statistics in the full story on the Guardian's web site at http://society.guardian.co.uk/children/story/0,1074,1546809,00.html before jumping to any conclusions.

It does make one wonder how accurate our genealogy databases are…

Comments

[Mark]

Pretty shabby journalism (the Guardian writer) and/or research, IMO. The headline '1 in 25' actually refers to a unnamed study that's barely mentioned in the article (3.7%).

The article itself cites "paternal discrepancy ... in between 1% and 30% of cases". Huh? How do you arrive at a range of percentages? And such a wide one at that. It's meaningless to me.

Later in the article, speaking of paternity testing in the UK, it says "research suggested between 8,900 and 20,000 tests a year are done in this country". Again, a huge range for a relatively small number.

No doubt there are cases of 'paternal discrepancy' in our pasts, but I doubt it's even as high as 4% (historically, at least). This "research" doesn't tell me anything, at least the way it is reported.

[Joe]

The range of percentages is the result of narrower studies that, when combined, give an overall percentage of about 4%.

I recall a similar study in highly ethnic neighborhoods in Chicago which found that the paternal discrepancy was about 30%.

[Steven C. Perkins]

The Learning Channel in the USA broadcast a program on Sunday, 21 Aug 2005, called "I am my own twin" concerning two cases of human chimeras. A chimera is a person with two sets of DNA. In these cases two women had different DNA in their sex organs than in their blood. DNA tests were performed that had determine neither was the mother of their children. In one case one woman passed on her brother DNA signature to her children. The other passed on her fathers mtDNA to her children.

These results call into question some of the certainities used in DNA testing and forensic investigations.

[Lady Bonita]

I have always wondered if blood transfusions might affect DNA ...

[Maria Brower]

I would like to know if anyone in California has gone to court with a DNA test to be able to go before a judge and get the father who's name is on thier birth certificate changed. I am trying to do this, both my biological father and my step-father are deceased and unable to testify to the judge.