The demand for paternity tests in Andalucia, although still relatively small, has apparently doubled in the past year, this increase being blamed on the economic crisis in Spain.
As people are forced to keep tightening their belts, some of those who find themselves without any income, yet are still paying child maintenance for offspring they earlier accepted as being theirs, have been asking the question, ‘it it really mine?’
And home testing is a very simple matter now. The Granada company Lorgen sells a home DNA testing kit for €495.
All that is needed is a saliva sample from the father and the child. The samples are then sent to a laboratory for analysis. The test analyses fifteen genetic markers and the results are said to be 99.9% accurate.
The results are ready within one week and can be mailed either to the person’s home or to a local pharmacy for collection.
For the test results to be valid in a court of law, all that is required are the signatures of two witnesses who must be present at the time of completion of the test.
In this way, the results can be used to challenge child maintenance payments.
The numbers using this system are still relatively small, and the majority relate to general paternity questions or curiosity rather than for the specific reason of challenging child maintenance payments. However, it is a trend which is on the increase.
Around 20% of tests apparently turn out to be negative.