Ethical Issues: DNA paternity testing in the present day is used to find the relationships between people in an ethical way. However, this can ride the fine line between ethical and unethical. Due to the Human Tissue Act of 2004, it is now considered to be unethical to "steal" someones DNA without their consent unless for the purposes of criminal justice. Another ethical issue is the emotional process of privacy at the laboratory where the DNA testing is being processed. Another ethical concern is the issue of the child knowing that his/her DNA is being tested. Although these tests usually occur when the child is very young or still a fetus, it is ultimately up to the parents to decide if their child should be told about the tests. Many consider not telling the child is immoral and unethical. Also, when the father is a sperm donor, or not in the child's life, that itself can have effects on the child that aren't right. When a male decides to become a sperm donor, they generally do not take the responsibility they have towards whatever child they create with that sperm into consideration. If the mother or the child wants to know the father, and it is a sperm donor, the donor then must come forth and take responsibilty to whatever that entails. Although the child in the end may not be fathered by the sperm donor, this is still ethical according to laws because the result of good parenting can reduce the child's chance of getting into violence and other criminal activities. (http://www.easydna.co.uk)
Social Issues: The social media in this day and age has put a negative twist on paternity testing by putting it on reality shows such as "Jerry Springer" and "Maury". This type of negative social media makes the science of this technological testing seem inappropriate. Other than that aspect, this way of DNA testing has few issues because it soles problems in families and court cases. Legal Issues: Paternity testing is used as a court order many times a day. When a mother would like to acquire DNA from a certain male for DNA paternity testing, she must go through a court order because of the law passed in 2004 stating that no person can take DNA for this sort of test without the male's consent. According to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, the mother and the putative father must be given notice, orally and in writing. (http://homepaternitytestnow.com)
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