Editing DNA paternity testing (section)

==Legal evidence==
A DNA parentage test that adheres to a strict [[chain of custody]] can produce legally admissible results used for various purposes, including child support, inheritance, social welfare benefits, immigration, and adoption. To meet the chain-of-custody legal requirements, all tested individuals must be properly identified, and their specimens must be collected by an independent third-party who is not related to any of the tested parties and has no interest in the test's outcome. The [[Legal burden of proof|quantum of evidence]] needed is [[clear and convincing evidence]], meaning that it is more substantial than in an ordinary civil case but less than the [[reasonable doubt|“beyond a reasonable doubt”]] standard needed for a criminal conviction.

In recent years, immigration authorities in multiple countries- including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, and others, may accept DNA parentage test results from immigration petitioners and beneficiaries in a family-based immigration case when primary documents that prove biological relationships are missing or inadequate.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Frequently Asked Questions About DNA Testing {{!}} Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) |url=https://www.cliniclegal.org/resources/family-based-immigration-law/frequently-asked-questions-about-dna-testing |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=www.cliniclegal.org}}</ref>

In the U.S., it is the responsibility of immigration applicants to arrange and cover the cost of DNA testing. U.S. immigration authorities mandate that any DNA test performed must be conducted by a laboratory accredited by the [[AABB]] (formerly the American Association of Blood Banks).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Information for Parents on U.S. Citizenship and DNA Testing |url=https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/travel-legal-considerations/us-citizenship/US-Citizenship-DNA-Testing.html |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=travel.state.gov |language=en}}</ref> Similarly, in Canada, the laboratory must be certified by the [[Standards Council of Canada]].

Although paternity tests are more prevalent than maternity tests, there are situations where the biological mother of the child is uncertain. Examples include cases in which an [[Adoption|adopted]] child seeks to reunite with their biological mother, potential [[Babies switched at birth|hospital mix-ups]], and [[in vitro fertilization]] scenarios where an unrelated embryo may have been implanted in the mother.

Other factors, such as new laws regarding reproductive technologies involving donated eggs and sperm or surrogate mothers, can also complicate the determination of legal motherhood. For instance, in Canada, the federal ''Human Assisted Reproduction Act'' allows for the use of hired surrogate mothers, meaning that the legal mother may be the egg donor rather than the woman who gave birth. Similar laws exist in the United Kingdom and Australia.

In Brazil in 2019, two male identical twins were ordered to both pay maintenance for a child fathered by one of them because the father could not be identified with DNA.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-04-02 |title=Brazilian identical twins both ordered to pay maintenance |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-47794844 |access-date=2025-03-24 |language=en-GB}}</ref>