DNA is passed on by your parents and is responsible for your individuality. Each of us is made up of 23 pairs of chromosomes.

We are the result of combination of a single egg and a single sperm cell... these cells go through a dividing process changing from 23 chromosomal pairs to 23 chromosomes.

Are you aware that it is possible for someone to obtain your DNA blueprint without your consent or knowledge according to the department of health?

Members of the Human Genetics Commission have called for a change in the law, making secret DNA testing a criminal offence. A significant number of paternity tests are carried out in the UK each year. According to experts, the figure may be as high as 10,000.

The Department of Health published guidelines aimed at ensuring UK-based clinics work within a clear ethical framework. However, the code is voluntary and there are growing concerns that stronger measures are needed.

The Human Genetics Commission called for a change in the law in its first report. Its members want secret DNA testing to be made a criminal offence. Unofficial figures suggest that as many as one in ten paternity tests are carried out on children without the consent or knowledge of one or more parents and usually the mother.



Internet clinics

Few UK-based clinics offer such a service, but there are some concerns with the fact that paternity testing is offered by overseas companies across the Internet.

The commission's report, (‘Inside Information’), states: "We are broadly happy with the regulation of UK paternity testing companies which abide by a government code of practice. But more and more people are making use of overseas companies which advertise on the Internet."

In preventing DNA testing and genetic information from being used in "malicious or deceitful ways", its members believe that a new law would go a long way.

Professor of family sciences at Cambridge University and a member of the commission, Martin Richards, said the concerns were legitimate. "The evidence, at the moment, is if covert testing occurs it is on a very limited scale but there is evidence that it may become more common."
He added: "In the UK, we have guidelines and as far as anyone knows they are adhered to. However, if you go onto the web it wouldn't take more than a few minutes to find sites that advertise the fact that they do not require consent to carry out DNA testing. I think there is reason to think there are already cases in the paternity testing field where people have covertly tested and sometimes with results that are very upsetting to those involved."

The problem is that DNA results can be acquired easily. Normal practice is to carry out tests on a blood sample or a saliva swab, but it is possible to obtain results from a single strand of hair or a used fork or cup.
A clinic in Australia offering paternity testing to people living in the UK, over the Internet, says it can provide accurate results after being sent a single strand of hair.
A spokeswoman for the clinic said since the service was first offered to residents in the UK, approx two years ago, demand has been "quite high". She added that the company encouraged potential customers to act openly and honestly. "We tend to veer them in that direction. We certainly do not suggest they should sneak around," she said.

Medical tests

Dr Paul Debenham, life sciences director at UK-clinic LGC, said its customers were required to be tested by registered doctors only.

Dr Debenham said approx one in 10 callers to the company enquired about covert testing. He added that LGC would encourage a change in the law to prohibit this practice.

"We don't accept that case work at all," he said. "It would make life a lot easier if we could just refer to the legal framework."

LGC carried out paternity tests on behalf of the now discontinued CSA (Child Support Agency). However, a wide variety of people use its services, according to Dr Debenham.

He said: "There is a growing demand from a broad range of people, including those involved in inheritance issues, siblings trying to establish whether they have the same father, and people who have been adopted and are trying to identify their parents. There has also been tremendous growth in people wanting to know about their roots and there is, of course, an increasing importance of genetics in terms of medical traits and health."



Legal plans

Plans to make covert testing illegal would put the UK ahead of other countries. Although European and North American governments are considering similar moves, none has legislation in place. "No country has a fully worked out system that is up and running," Prof. Richards said. "This has to be a leap in the dark because no one has ever done it."
He added: "All you can do is make it an offence and hope it will be a deterrent."

Criminalizing covert DNA testing could make a difference, said Dr Debenham. "It is impractical to see how the UK can monitor or police internet services. But it does mean that if you ever tried to present the results of a DNA test that was carried out covertly you would be admitting to a criminal offence. You would also not be able to use those results and would at the very least be doubling your costs. While it may not stop covert tests it may force people to think twice before doing it."