SECRETLY obtaining someone’s DNA to settle paternity disputes was banned in Germany last week. The UK passed a similar law in 2006, and Australia is considering following suit.
The new law allows paternity disputes to be settled using DNA evidence only if all parties consent. “People can still do it secretly using companies outside Germany, but the result would have no legal status within Germany,” says Carston Proff of LCG Forensics in Cologne.
The law bans sex determination of fetuses and testing for predisposition to diseases that may or may not develop in adulthood. It also forbids employers and insurance…
