Paternity In Colorado
Paternity questions are often brought up in family law cases. Colorado law allows for various methods of establishing paternity when this occurs.
Evidence of Paternity Can Include:
Proof of sexual intercourse between the parties in question during the conception period
Expert opinion of the statistical probability of parentage based upon the length of the mothers pregnancy
Genetic test results in conjunction with other evidence
Medical evidence or anthropological evidence based upon test done by field experts
Any evidence relevant to a child’s paternity
Many forms of evidence can be utilized to prove paternity, but DNA testing is the most precise. Every person has a unique genetic blueprint that is passed own from their mother and father. That is why DNA can be used to determine biological relationships. To do this the DNA profiles of the mother, child and potential father must be compared. The testing can be as much as 99.99% accurate.
The law in Colorado allows any cases where paternity is an issue the opportunity to request or provide DNA evidence. This can be requested by mother, father or child. The court can order all parties to submit to DNA testing. The lab used must be accredited by the secretary of the Federal Department of Health and Human Services.
DNA testing has become far less expensive in the past few years. It is considered as conclusive evidence by the courts. The advances in technology allow the testing to be done within days and some labs even make house calls to collect samples. Samples no longer need to be given in the form of blood. Most labs use a cheek swab now, which is much less invasive for small children.
If you have not yet established paternity in your family court case you should probably request genetic testing. This will determine paternity and resolve the issue. Once this is done the court can establish custody, visitation and child support.