Advantages and Disadvantages
Benefits of DNA Fingerprinting
1. It is an easy and painless method for the subject being tested. It is less invasive then taking a blood sample 2. It is an affordable and reliable technique 3. It can be conducted in a relatively short amount of time 4. Anyone at any age can be tested with this method without any major concerns 5. There is a large variety of uses such as in legal claims, missing persons cases, identification for the military, and paternity and prenatal testing 6. The technique has used since 1984, making it highly developed and improved |
Disadvantages of DNA Fingerprinting
1. The sample of DNA can easily be ruined during the process of DNA fingerprinting, causing the sample to become completely useless for testing 2. The process itself is complex and tedious, and can give results that may be hard to interpret 3. The test needs to be run on multiple samples, a numerous amount of times for ideal accuracy. Commonly, labs run each test twice with four samples. 4. Privacy issues could occur if the information isn't kept secure at the lab. Personal information legally can only be released with a written order. This personal information if leaked, could potentially complicate insurance processes, health care and job prospects for an individual (See Social and Ethical Issues for more info) |