DNA testing

[Lamb]

Have you done one of those DNA tests? If not, would you? Why or why not?

On the radio yesterday a radio host said she did a DNA test and found out her dad wasn't her biological dad and that there was a sperm donor involved. She wanted to find her 4 other siblings who were also in the same situation as well as her biological father to know about health issues. Her biological father had an anonymous contract and she wanted that revoked because she never signed an agreement to that. I don't know how I feel about her getting rights to have anonymity becoming public knowledge.

 

[MennoSota]

Have you done one of those DNA tests? If not, would you? Why or why not?

On the radio yesterday a radio host said she did a DNA test and found out her dad wasn't her biological dad and that there was a sperm donor involved. She wanted to find her 4 other siblings who were also in the same situation as well as her biological father to know about health issues. Her biological father had an anonymous contract and she wanted that revoked because she never signed an agreement to that. I don't know how I feel about her getting rights to have anonymity becoming public knowledge.

I'm good with what I am. I ain't nobody else but me.

 

[TurtleHare]

No way no how, hide me please from the gubment because you know they're keeping tabs. hehe

 

[Wilhemena]

I would be curious enough to do this.

 

[Tigger]

My sister had it done so I have a good idea of my ancestry which I think is very interesting.

 

[Ruth]

My brother did his genealogy and went pretty far back; also did DNA testing. I have thought about doing it so I can see for myself but will wait till I have the $ to do it. But it's really not that important to me at this time either.

 

[Josiah]

We had the opportunity to do a lot of this kind of testing for our son before he was born....

We asked what value it had, and mostly what we got was insights into abortion. Since we in no situation would abort our son, it seemed pretty useless.

We DID consider being prepared... say if he was born with severe Downs... it might be good to have emotional time to deal with that. Then again, what difference would it make? He'd be our gift from God... with the divine gift of life... and we would love him with all our heart.



As for just ancestor info, I just don't care. So what if I had a great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather who lived in Poland. Can't for the life of me figure out why that matters. It might be interesting to know if I'm related to Hitler but would it really matter? I never knew the guy, he never knew me.



- Josiah

 

[Lamb]

I can see great value in it for people who don't know their families very well or for those who were adopted. There are some genetic diseases and cancers that are inherited so knowing if your ancestors carry certain genes could save your life.

 

[ValleyGal]

I bought my mom a kit because she's really into ancestry. She has relatives in Sweden that she actually stays in touch with because of a mutual auntie. It's actually very interesting. My great-grandfather's brother has been said to have died on the Titanic. He had his ticket and his name was on the roster. She even has a telegram that he sent to my great-grandfather that was sent the day before sailing, indicating his intention to be on the boat. That's our understanding of his fate all these years, but when mom found relatives and shared information, it was learned that he never actually boarded, and no one ever saw or heard from him since, to confirm whether he got on the boat.

So mom did her test only to learn that the man who raised her was not her biological father. Then her half-siblings got in touch with her from the man who sired her's side of the people. This was devastating to her, and has taken a year for her just to process. And this is a strong woman who is family oriented and has very strong ties to her dad's side (the one who raised her). She had a very strong sense of identity and connection, and that was all thrown into question. It nearly killed me, watching my mom suffering and learning about these other people who share her genetics. Her only saving grace seems to be that she grew up very well loved and accepted, and the other people grew up in a very unstable, unloving home and are way more messed up than she is.

She told me there would be no surprises if I were to do my dna. I'm not going to because I know now where my dna comes from - but they are not my family. They are people in the community in which I was raised. I might not even meet them.

I think it's important to have a balanced view of this, and for anyone considering it, they need to ask themselves "what if this does not yield results I would naturally expect?" There are some very good things that can come from dna testing, but there are also some devastating things that can come from it. All I can say is that if you're thinking about it, think of all the possible scenarios first.

 

[Ruth]

I can see great value in it for people who don't know their families very well or for those who were adopted. There are some genetic diseases and cancers that are inherited so knowing if your ancestors carry certain genes could save your life.

I don't think DNA testing will tell what diseases/genes come with your ancestry.

 

[Josiah]

There are some genetic diseases and cancers that are inherited so knowing if your ancestors carry certain genes could save your life.

... a valid point

 

[Krissy Cakes]

I really want to do ancestry. I want to get the kit. I want to know my history.

 

[Albion]

I really want to do ancestry. I want to get the kit. I want to know my history.

I know nothing personally about these kits, but from what others who are into such stuff and have done the testing, I picked up two pieces of advice.

1. There are three or so companies doing the work. They are not all equally good.

2. There are several levels of research you can go for and they cost different amounts. You need to get the most expensive one, if you can afford it, or close to it, because the cheapest one which is advertised on TV for $50 (or whatever it really is) will get you some interesting information but mainly a rough approximation about your ethnic background that says you are 38% Eastern European (?Is that Russian, Polish, Serbian, or what?) or etc.

Unless you are totally in the dark about your ethnicity or want to know--yes or no--if there is any American Indian blood in there, that kind of report doesn't reveal very much.

 

[tango]

I think the best piece of advice I read about those things is to be prepared for any outcome. There seem to be a few (and presumably a growing number of) situations where people took a test and it resulted in a family being torn apart. I don't suppose it's the best way to find out that the child you've been raising as your own, isn't actually yours. Or that the people you thought were your parents aren't, or that only one of them is, or something.

I remember reading about a case of siblings who took a test like this together only to find they were half-siblings. Apparently their mother had had an affair and one of them was the result. Needless to say the affair had been kept secret, but the DNA test result shone an unexpected light on it.

 

[NewCreation435]

I might do DNA testing depending on the cost of the test. I am curious, but not that curious.

 

[Lamb]

When these tests first came out, my daughter's friend did one (VERY expensive at that time) and she is Arab and was shocked to find European blood in her at a good percentage. Her family was very surprised so it made them wonder how accurate the test is.

 

[Fullmoon]

That wouldn't interest me in the slightest, I 've got no reason to believe i'm not from my parents. But I have done a ancestry test. Confirmed what I believed, Mostly English and Scandinavian.

 

[tango]

Have you done one of those DNA tests? If not, would you? Why or why not?

On the radio yesterday a radio host said she did a DNA test and found out her dad wasn't her biological dad and that there was a sperm donor involved. She wanted to find her 4 other siblings who were also in the same situation as well as her biological father to know about health issues. Her biological father had an anonymous contract and she wanted that revoked because she never signed an agreement to that. I don't know how I feel about her getting rights to have anonymity becoming public knowledge.

This kind of thing seems to all but guarantee a decline in the number of people willing to donate sperm and eggs. If you make an anonymous contract you can't suddenly find it's broken some number of years down the line because someone didn't like it. Next up we'll make sure wealthy people never become donors by hitting them with child support requirements for the child their donation produced.

Personally I feel no need to have a DNA test. Partly because I don't expect it will tell me anything I don't already know and partly because I don't want some private company having that much information about me without offering me a corresponding benefit.