Paternity tests on the rise in Greece, says scientist
Greek DNA labs are receiving an increasing number of requests for tests mainly from men but also women who want to clarify the paternity of their child, according to a forensic expert who spoke to Kathimerini.
“Very often it concerns children that have been born out of wedlock and men want to know it is really theirs before recognizing them,” said Dr Leda Kovatsi, associate professor of forensic medicine and toxicology and head of the DNA Department at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUT).
“We also have requests from spouses who have doubts about one of their children. We had a father who had three children out of wedlock, and while he was sure about the first two, he had doubts about the third,” she explained.
Kovatsi said January and February are the lab’s busiest months. “Yes, paternity tests are a seasonal product. Over the holidays, families meet and they stir up doubts and old disagreements. Nobody bothers us in the summer,” she says.
