In 1955 a hospital in Arborg Manitoba sent two babies home with the wrong families. Both babies were born on June 28, 1955. The mistake was not discovered until 2022 after the results of a genealogical DNA test, according to an article in the Globe and Mail published February 10, 2023. With the growing prevalence of relatively inexpensive DNA tests, there are more instances of DNA testing being used. Legal uses and consequences are among them. DNA tests can prove and disprove paternity in cases of inheritance where there is an intestacy, and in cases of dependant support claims, among others. They can also prove and disprove claims related to entitlements at birth, like status as an aboriginal. Consider the consequences and difficulty in proving claims that might exist in law after the passage of 67 years. One can only speculate at this stage as to some of the problems associated with the possibility of an estate having been inherited based on mistaken heirship, or the loss of favourable tax status accorded to aboriginals, among other possibilities.
In cases arising where there might be some legal or other question as to paternity, the use of a genealogical DNA test might be appropriate in more and more cases. The tests are certainly more readily available and less expensive than in the past.
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