People want DNA tests for different reasons, often to determine paternity of a child.  There are a lot of ways to obtain DNA testing.  Your choice of method will depend on variables such as:

• Do I  want the results of the test to be public? Do I want child support to be established?
• Do I want the other parent to know that DNA testing is being done?
• Can I afford to pay for private DNA testing?
• Do I want the other parent to know I am
• How quickly do I want to receive the results?
• Do I want a guarantee that I will be told the results of the test?

Do I want the results of the test to be public?  Do I want child support to be established?

Regardless of whether you are the mother of the child of the possible father, you may want to learn the results of the DNA testing privately, and then decide what to do with the results.  In Ohio, you the mother can request DNA testing from a child support enforcement agency if paternity of the child in question has not already been established, usually at no cost.  If the DNA tests show that the man tested is the child’s father, Child Support Enforcement will issue an administrative order determining parentage.  If the mother is on public assistance, then child support enforcement will require the mother to cooperate in obtaining a child support order so that some of the money spent on public assistance can be recovered by the government.  If the mother is on public assistance, but do not want the father to have to pay child support, then she may not want to seek DNA testing from the child support enforcement agency.

Do I want the other parent to know if DNA tests are being performed?

One of the child’s parents may object to DNA testing, or become angry that parentage is in question.  For this reason, the parent seeking DNA testing may prefer to do the testing through a private lab, rather than through child support enforcement or through the courts.

Can I afford to pay for private DNA testing?

DNA testing can cost as much as the DNA testing company wants to charge, but as of 2008, private DNA testing can be accomplished for around $450 if only the baby and the possible father are tested at a clinic.  If you are willing to take the sample at home, the cost is much less, and some places on the internet advertise DNA tests for less than $100.  If you intend to use the results in court, you will probably want to go through a clinic.  If the test is only for your personal knowledge, you may well be satisfied with the less expensive home version.

If you decide to have the testing done through a clinic, you can call one of the national DNA testing companies and make arrangements with them.  This can be done over the phone with a credit card.  They will give the name of a clinic near you where you can go in to have your cheek swabbed and the child’s cheek swabbed.  The sample will be sent to the DNA testing lab, and you should have the results in one to two weeks. 

How quickly do I want to receive the results?

Private DNA testing done through a clinic takes a few weeks to get results.  Testing done through child support enforcement can take months, but costs little or nothing.

Do I want a guarantee that I will be told the results of the test?

 If you have DNA testing done through child support enforcement, and the test results show that the man tested is not the father, the child support enforcement will probably not tell him the results at all.  This is because once the DNA results exclude him as the father, he is no longer considered a party to the child support case.

If you have questions about DNA testing or paternity in Ohio that you would like answered, you may call our office to schedule a consultation.