Germany Bans Secret Paternity Test
April 26, 2009 :: Posted by - admin :: Category - New Laws
German legislators approved a law to ban secret paternity tests on 24 April. The recent step is part of a new statute on some genetic tests that has taken more than 10 years in the making amid intense debates as some of the ethical issues are much controversial.
Significant features of the law:
- Under the law man who swabs any baby’s saliva, he has to pay fine up to 5,000 euros or 6,500 dollars.
- Saliva would be sent for DNA testing without informing the mother.
- Limits the use of some genetic testing on fetuses to merely medical purposes.
- Genetic tests must only be carried out by any doctor.
- The tests have need of the full consent of all parties involved.
- Parents are prohibited from using any genetic test to identify the sex of the unborn kids.
- Prohibits the use of genetic testing for signs of a predisposition to illnesses that can appear only later in life, like breast cancer or some diseases of the nervous system.
The provision of paternity-tests was one of the most controversial and hot topics with critics charging. It usually denied fathers a conflict-free chance to check that kids are their own issue. However, legislators thought the new law protected the kid’s interests.
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