6533b7d8fe1ef96bd126b86b

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Expert witness in paternity testing in Germany.

Christian RittnerPeter M. SchneiderGabriele Rittner

subject

Malebusiness.industrymedia_common.quotation_subjectPaternityDNA FingerprintingFederal lawPathology and Forensic MedicineIssues ethics and legal aspectsDNA profilingExpert witnessInformed consentLawGermanyForensic engineeringMedicineSanctionsMicrosatelliteHumansbusinessDutyExpert Testimonymedia_common

description

In Germany, paternity testing can be ordered by a judge as well as by private persons. In the case of private counselling, the expert has the duty to inform the parties on all medical, legal and ethical aspects. Informed consent must be given by each individual included in an exploration of family relationships. Due to the rapid progress of DNA typing in even minute amounts after polymerase chain reaction amplification, genotypes of short tandem repeat systems can be elicited by extraction from single cells. Therefore, the number of unlawful investigations of paternal relationships is steadily increasing. Here the requirements for paternity testing laboratories and sanctions for unlawful exploration of a person's genotypes are discussed. A new Federal law should be drafted.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2003-03-01Legal medicine (Tokyo, Japan)
10.1016/s1344-6223(02)00125-6https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12935554