Nick Hodson and Ann Potter - Who's the Daddy, Half Sister, Brother: the Future of DNA Testing in Family Proceedings

Nick Hodson Partner Stephensons Solicitors LLP and Ann Potter Senior Lecturer in Social Work Manchester Metropolitan University.

It has been widely recognised for some time in the fields of psychology social work and law that knowledge of one's biological origins is generally a good thing and arguably a matter of right for most children and young people (A Bainham 'Arguments about Parentage' in (2008) 67(2) Cambridge Law Journal 322; S Besson 'Enforcing the Child's Right to Know her Origins: Contrasting Approaches under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the European Convention on Human Rights' (2007) 21(2) International Journal of Law Policy and the Family 137). Where there is doubt DNA science has provided what is usually assumed to be a safe and reliable means for adults and children to be sure about who is related to who in their family. The 'scientific' status of DNA tests has generally resulted in a belief that such tests will provide safe clear and reliable evidence. However testing for biological relationships will not necessarily produce a positive result or experience for those involved (Besson 2007; A Northover and G...

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