Those DNA testing kits are becoming quite popular as curious people seek to find out they're related to some famous person or perhaps to learn more about their lineage. But the buyers had better beware. WSJ.com published an article about how it's creating rifts in some families. For example, two sisters submitted their DNA for test and got some shocking news. Their father had fathered another child with a woman other then their mother. They had a brother they never knew about. But that's not all. The other sister had a different father who had had an affair with their mother. That sort of news can disrupt the family Thanksgiving dinner.
If interested in the whole story, see: Two Sisters Bought DNA Kits. The Results Blew Apart Their Family. Alternate link.
But it gets worse. FamilyTreeDNA Hands the FBI Access to Its Database. So not only can test results let a family discover their parents have wandered outside the marital bounds, they make it possible to become involved in a criminal investigation. There's at least one company already collecting public database DNA and using it to solve crimes. Perhaps getting a serial killer off the streets might be an exception, but becoming involved with an investigation of a close relative doesn't lead to family unity.
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2:47 PM 2/6/2019
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