Judge allows paternity test for DNA disease analysis – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted April 22nd, 2016 in cancer, DNA, family courts, genetic testing, human tissue, news, paternity by tracey

‘Spencer v Anderson (Paternity Testing) [2016] EWHC 851 (Fam). A fascinating case in the Family Division throws up a number of facts that some may find surprising. One is that this is the first time the courts in this country have been asked to direct post-mortem scientific testing to establish paternity. The other is that DNA is not covered by the Human Tissue Act, because genetic material does not contain human cells. One might wonder why the statute doesn’t, given that DNA is the instruction manual that makes the human tissue that it covers – but maybe updating the 2004 law to cover genetic material would create more difficulties than it was designed to resolve.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 20th April 2016

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com