Over the counter DNA paternity tests on store shelves

You may be surprised what you can pick up at your local drug store, how about a paternity test? You can now purchase them over the counter at Walgreens, Rite-Aid and C-V-S.

It is the first paternity test kit to ever be sold over-the-counter. You collect a D-N-A sample by rubbing the inside of your mouth using swabs provided in the kit, and then send the sample to a lab. Indentigene says they're laboratory provides results with probabilities greater than 99-point-99 percent.

Dr. Ruth DeHaven has been certified to perform paternity tests for 15 years, and follows a strict set of security procedures. She says office testing provides more security. Dr. DeHaven says, "The process looking at this is the same. You swab the child, swab the father, you send it off with your money. What is different with ours is step by step, it's done by someone who knows what they're doing, and are trained how to do it, and it's more secured. Because of security measures, we follow the chain step by step. This you collect the swab yourself, who knows who's swab it really is, and it gets sent out to the lab that reports out. By having the picture the thumb prints and having the writing, all security measure that I don't know you will necessarily have with an at home test. The difference is the one that we're doing can stand up in court."

The over the counter kit has many intrigued. Vicky Jeter says, "I prefer going to the doctor myself but if it's accurate." Courtney Lovelace says, "I think that there are probably going to be a lot of people buying these. I think it might be a little scary because if people are married and there are suspicious that maybe you're not the father of your wife's child then it could cause some problems, but I didn't know it was something you could buy in a drug store." Adam Epperson says, "That's good to know that you can do that if need be, to be able to check and find out easily. You won't have to go to Maury Povich anymore." Dianne Waller says, "Paternity tests, I think every man should stand up and take his responsibility regardless, if this is a quick and easy over the counter way to do that, that's wonderful."

The Identigene over the county DNA paternity test collection kit cost $29.99, but you have to pay an additional $119-dollars for lab fees. Results from this particular test are not accepted in court, you would have to pay an additional charge of $319 for the company to collect DNA to be used for that purpose, that's compared to $450 at the doctor's office.