DNA profiling at birth

820 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Forensic science and the role it plays in solving crimes

DNA fingerprinting has become one of the best scientific methods to identify genetic information called DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid). DNA fingerprinting is an unforgettable part of society, assisting to prove innocence or guilt in criminal cases, resolving immigration arguments and clarifying paternity. This essay will look at whether new born babies should be DNA fingerprint profiled at birth by analysing both the positive and negative aspects of this procedure. Being a fairly new procedure, there are many arguments for and against DNA finger printing new borns. Supporting arguments for this procedure are that it makes it easier to determine paternity and easier to solve crime scenes in forensic science. However, there are also arguments against this procedure, including, privacy concerns and issues on accuracy.

Forensic scientists have been curious in using genetic information to match crime scene evidence with suspects in criminal investigations for a very long time. However recently the lack of suitable experimental approach prevented them from achieving this until DNA fingerprint profiling was discovered. During the 1980’s geneticist Alec Jeffreys discovered how to DNA fingerprint using a drop of his own blood. Since then DNA fingerprinting has been used on hundreds of thousands of people throughout many countries and helping trap hundreds of killers, free the innocent and revolutionise science and criminal justice.

DNA fingerprinting is a process with many steps that takes a lot of time. The first step of making a genetic fingerprint requires getting a sample of DNA, a thread of hair, a drop of blood, even skin cells. Any one of these samples of DNA contain white blood cells which are broken down by using a detergent. Thi...

... middle of paper ...

...ily life and possible genetic disorders along with certain genetic traits such as predilection and antisocial behaviour.

Another argument against DNA fingerprinting at birth is that there may be issues with accuracy and the quality of the finger print. The accuracy may be wrong as the fingerprint changes from baby to child and from child to adult and do not remain static. The pattern of the fingerprint may still be similar however it may be harder to automatically search the fingerprint when comparing to an adult size. Also any form of injury to the fingerprinted finger would make an individuals entry into the database in vogue.

There are clearly many obvious benefits to DNA fingerprinting babies at birth as this procedure is used in forensic science. It has helped solve many crimes by dismissing suspects and helping to identify and convict the guilty person.

Show More
Related

  • The Use of Force to Gain DNA Samples

    547 Words  | 2 Pages

    DNA evidence should not be collected from suspects as a matter of routine unless the information is relevant to a specific crime in question. For example, it would appropriate to obtain a DNA sample from a suspect where DNA evidence is left at the scene of a crime and the suspect's DNA in needed to prove the suspect's involvement.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of DNA Analysis

    1216 Words  | 3 Pages

    . DNA can be left or collected from the hair, saliva, blood, mucus, semen, urine, fecal matter, and even the bones. DNA analysis has been the most recent technique employed by the forensic science community to identify a suspect or victim since the use of fingerprinting. Moreover, since the introduction of this new technique, there has been a large number of individuals released or convicted of crimes based on DNA left at the crime scene. DNA is the abbreviation for deoxyribonucleic acid.

    Read More

  • Familial DNA Searching

    1418 Words  | 3 Pages

    Keiper L. More states use familial DNA as powerful forensic search tool. Reuters [Internet]. 2011 [cited May 16 2012]; N. page. Available from: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/30/us-crime-dna-familial-idUSTRE72T2QS20110330.

    Read More

  • The Themes Of DNA And Ridley's Genome By Matt Ridley

    1954 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of society’s problems is that the wrong people are convicted of a crime they did not commit. None have more dire consequences on those than who are wrongly convicted of rape and murder. The punishment for these crimes are as harsh as possible to deter the crimes and when wrongly convicted, the wrong person gets punished while the true perpetrator gets away. In order to increase the chance of convicting the true perpetrator of the crime, the tools to find and convict criminals had to be refined. And it was refined due to extensive research into DNA. This research was done by Alec Jeffreys and Vicky Wilson, the research’s technician, and it found that in the massive amount of junk codes, there exists many repetitious codes that have copied so many times that it varies from person to person. (Ridley 132) This means that people can be identified with only their DNA from their hair, fluids, skin, etc. This discovery has led to convictions of rapists and murderers such as the Pickford case that Ridley wrote about. It has also led to the sentences of many wrongly convicted people to be retracted and this had led to the release of about 200 people known as the DNA 200. (Phelan) Now, most of the world keeps criminals’ genotype information in order to identify repeat offenders. In the United States, every state requires that every convicted

    Read More

  • CSI Effect

    1118 Words  | 3 Pages

    Another discrepancy between actual forensics and how it is portrayed in the media is the availability of information in databases. There is only a small percentage of the entire population’s fingerprints or DNA samples stored within databases such as the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). This makes finding a match between a DNA sample or fingerprint difficult, as a match would only be found if the person’s information was already stored within the database. If there is no match previously stored in a database, the fingerprint or DNA sample could be potentially rendered useless within a trial. Typically, in order to perform an analysis, investigators must already have a suspect in mind and request a DNA or fingerprint sample from him or her. If the suspect does not want to provide one however, the sample collected as evidence may not count as valid. The CSI effect creates an idealized image that all crimes can be solved with a hair or drop of blood, but this is not always the case in real life.

    Read More

  • The Future Potential of DNA Fingerprinting

    1341 Words  | 3 Pages

    Saltus, Richard. "DNA Fingerprinting: Its A Chance Of Probabilties." The Boston Globe 22 August 1994: 25.

    Read More

  • DNA Fingerprinting And PCR

    1046 Words  | 3 Pages

    DNA fingerprinting, or sometimes known as DNA typing, is isolating and developing images of sequences of DNA to evaluate the DNA in an individual’s cells. DNA fingerprinting today is used for many different things in many different areas of science. In forensic science, DNA typing can determine which person did which crime by using blood or skin left at a crime scene. In medical science, patients can find out who their siblings, parents, or children are by using DNA fingerprinting (webmd).

    Read More

  • DNA Testing in Crime Scenes

    572 Words  | 2 Pages

    DNA, or deoxyribonucleic exists in all living organisms, is self-replicating and gives a person their unique characteristics. No two people have the same matching DNA. There are many different forms of DNA that are tested for situations such as criminal. Bodily fluids, hair follicles and bone tissues are some of the most common types of DNA that is tested in crime labs today. Although the discovery of DNA dates back to 1866 when Gregor Mendel proved the inheritance of factors in pea plants, DNA testing is relatively new and have been the prime factor when solving crimes in general. In 1966, scientists discovered a genetic code that made it possible to predict characteristics by studying DNA. This lead to genetic engineering and genetic counseling. In 1980, Organ was the first to have a conviction based off DNA fingerprinting and DNA testing in forensics cases became famous in 1995 during the O.J. Simpson trial (SMC History , 2011).

    Read More

  • Protective Factors In Child Development

    925 Words  | 2 Pages

    Risk factors act as precursors for detrimental behavioral, social, and emotional activity. Inherited genetic disorders have long historically had strong correlations with this type of maladaptive behav...

    Read More

  • Genetic Engineering Essay

    909 Words  | 2 Pages

    Forensic genetics has other applications . The " fingerprint " DNA represents a valuable tool for forensic science . As is the case with an ordinary fingerprint genetic fingerprint is unique to each individual (except identical twins ) . The determination involves the observation of specific DNA sequences which can be obtained from extremely small tissue samples , hair, blood or eventually left at the scene . As Fifty microliters of blood, semen or five microliters of ten roots of hairs are enough , and nozzles secretions and cells from the fetus . In addition to its use in the capture of criminals , especially rapists , the genetic fingerprints can be used to establish family relationships . People involved in the conservation of species use them to be sure that captive breeding is among individuals who do not belong to the same family .

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of DNA Collection And Its Relationship To Solving Crime

    1511 Words  | 4 Pages

    Once a crime has been committed the most important item to recover is any type of evidence left at the scene. If the suspect left any Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) at the crime scene, he could then be linked to the crime and eventually charged. A suspect’s DNA can be recovered if the suspect leaves a sample of his or her DNA at the crime scene. However, this method was not always used to track down a suspect. Not too long ago, detectives used to use bite marks, blood stain detection, blood grouping as the primary tool to identify a suspect. DNA can be left or collected from the hair, saliva, blood, mucus, semen, urine, fecal matter, and even the bones. DNA analysis has been the most recent technique employed by the forensic science community to identify a suspect or victim since the use of fingerprinting. Moreover, since the introduction of this new technique it has been a la...

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of DNA Fingerprinting

    1124 Words  | 3 Pages

    Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is an acclaimed extraordinary discovery that has contributed great benefits in several fields throughout the world. DNA evidence is accounted for in the majority of cases presented in the criminal justice system. It is known as our very own unique genetic fingerprint; “a chromosome molecule which carries genetic coding unique to each person with the only exception of identical twins (that is why it is also called 'DNA fingerprinting ')” (Duhaime, n.d.). DNA is found in the nuclei of cells of nearly all living things.

    Read More

  • Use of DNA in Criminal Investigations

    2857 Words  | 6 Pages

    Before the 1980s, courts relied on testimony and eyewitness accounts as a main source of evidence. Notoriously unreliable, these techniques have since faded away to the stunning reliability of DNA forensics. In 1984, British geneticist Alec Jeffreys of the University of Leicester discovered an interesting new marker in the human genome. Most DNA information is the same in every human, but the junk code between genes is unique to every person. Junk DNA used for investigative purposes can be found in blood, saliva, perspiration, sexual fluid, skin tissue, bone marrow, dental pulp, and hair follicles (Butler, 2011). By analyzing this junk code, Jeffreys found certain sequences of 10 to 100 base pairs repeated multiple times. These tandem repeats are also the same for all people, but the number of repetitions is highly variable. Before this discovery, a drop of blood at a crime scene could only reveal a person’s blood type, plus a few proteins unique to certain people. Now DNA forensics can expose a person’s gender, race, susceptibility to diseases, and even propensity for high aggression or drug abuse (Butler, 2011). More importantly, the certainty of DNA evidence is extremely powerful in court. Astounded at this technology’s almost perfect accuracy, the FBI changed the name of its Serology Unit to the DNA Analysis Unit in 1988 when they began accepting requests for DNA comparisons (Using DNA to Solve Crimes, 2014).

    Read More

  • Behavioral Genetic Determinism: Do Genes Equal Behavior?

    2513 Words  | 6 Pages

    Human behavior is a loosely defined foundation for individuality, generally considered to be influenced and developed by the environment. However, recent molecular studies have exposed genetic factors that suggest a more biological origin for behavior. Gene segments in the genome of humans and other animals have been identified and associated with particular behavioral traits. Is it possible that the presence or absence of even a single gene may predispose one to alcoholism, increased irritability, or enhanced intelligence? Clearly exploration of the nature versus nurture argument with regard to genetic predisposition has social, political, and legal significance.

    Read More

  • Nature vs. Nurture Essay

    2113 Words  | 5 Pages

    Height, hair color, eye color and sex are just a few examples of ways our DNA has shaped us. But could it be possible that our DNA also effects the way we behave in society. It is possible that genetics effect us is more ways that we may have imagined. Dr. Peter B. Neubaur believes that shyness, eating disorders, obsessive behavior and psychological illness can all be traced back to our genetics. Sexual orientation is also believed to be derived from genes in our body which determine what sexual preference we prefer. Violence and other types of crimes can be linked back throughout a person’s lineage to witness that other family members have been committed similar crimes without ever meeting one and other.

    Read More

More about DNA profiling at birth

Open Document