Furore over do-it-yourself paternity tests

The marketing of do-it-yourself DNA test kits to fathers wanting to check the paternity of their partner's children has come under fire.

The kits come with cotton wool buds used to collect cells from inside the child's cheek and another swab to take a sample from the father, which can then be sent by post for testing.

Launch of the GBP300 (HK$3,789) kits this week has sparked fears of family rifts and concern that fathers might try to avoid accepting financial responsibility for children.

An advertisement for the tests, carried in a sleazy Sunday newspaper alongside advertisements for Viagra and a host of others offering sex counselling, asks: 'Whose child is it? Are you really the father? The curious, suspicious or disbelieving who just want peace of mind can now conduct paternity checks in the comfort of their own home.' An MP has called for the tests to be banned, accusing the DNA agency of exploiting separated parents.

David Hinchliffe, chairman of the House of Commons Health Select Committee, said the tests would entice fathers to look for ways of avoiding responsibilities.

'If someone wants to check on the paternity of a child, then there are regulated ways of doing this through the courts when everyone's interests, particularly those of the child, are protected,' Mr Hinchliffe said.