Is paternity established through a court or via DNA testing?

In Washington, paternity can be established either through a court order or DNA testing. When a child is born to unmarried parents, paternity is not automatically established. The mother may sign an "Acknowledgement of Paternity" form, which is available from the state Department of Social and Health Services. This form is signed by both parents and filed with the department, and then paternity is established. If the parents do not agree on the paternity of the child, or if the father denies paternity, the mother can take the case to court. In the court process, both parents have the opportunity to make their case, and the court may order genetic testing to determine paternity. In Washington, DNA testing can be used to determine paternity. The test can be done voluntarily, or it can be ordered by the court. It determines a likelihood of paternity between 99% and 99.99%. DNA testing is often done with a cheek swab, and results can usually be acquired within a matter of days. Overall, Washington takes establishing paternity of a child seriously, and it can be accomplished either through a court order or a DNA test. Each method has its own procedures and processes, but ultimately the process is there to ensure that the paternity of the child is accurately established.

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Is paternity established through a court or via DNA testing?

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