ABA Family Legal Guide

Family Law

Children

Paternity

How do you determine paternity in cases that don't involve surrogacy or artificial insemination?

Paternity cases increasingly rely on scientific evidence. The blood tests used during much of the last century were useful only up to a certain point. They might prove that a man was not the father of a child, but could not prove that he was the father. New tests that sample the DNA (genetic material) of the child and the supposed father are nearly 100 percent accurate in proving or disproving paternity.