After testimony from Noëmi who is linked to the wrong biological father: "Don't let biological descent be purely commercial"

DNA does not lie, but the interpretation that can be given to it, says genetic genealogist Maarten Larmuseau after the testimony of Noëmi, who is linked to the wrong biological father. Because it is such an emotional and existential quest, it is precisely the scientific execution of genetic genealogy that is so important. Don't let descent be just a commercial product, he explains in this opinion.

The testimony of the Flemish Noëmi Plateau was heartbreaking. On Tuesday evening she told openly about her difficult and emotional search for her biological parents in "Late" on One. Noëmi was adopted from China at the age of one and a half and had felt a loss all her life.

She first felt where she came from when she was linked to a biological father after a DNA test. But a second DNA test disproved this claim. She's back at the start of her quest. How is it possible that different DNA analyzes provide conflicting results? DNA doesn't lie, does it?

DNA kits

However, there is no doubt about the power of DNA analysis for finding biological relationships. As soon as commercial DNA kits came on the market, many adopted children found their biological parents, children of the same anonymous sperm donor were linked together and genealogists further clarified their family history by searching for distant relatives worldwide. For children with unknown biological parent(s), the commercial DNA companies are often the only hope in their emotional and existential quest.

DNA results may not lie, but of course their interpretation can. This happens for a variety of reasons, ranging from pure scams to a lack of knowledge of statistical evidence at a possible link. After all, finding biological parent(s) via international DNA databases is not as easy as it may seem at first glance. If the parent itself is not present in the DNA database, one has to work with family trees of persons with common DNA fragments to arrive at a result.

Genetic Genealogy

Linking biological relatives is the subject of genetic genealogy, a still young scientific discipline. It is precisely because it is such an emotional quest that the insights and statistical methods from this discipline are so important. Everyone who is looking for her, his or their biological family should therefore be able to rely on this knowledge as well as good psychological guidance.

You cannot expect that from the international players in commercial DNA tests. Of course, they are mainly focused on selling their product. Over the years, adoptive and donor children united in both self-help groups and on Facebook to acknowledge and advance each other's quest. But the scientific supervision must of course also be offered professionally. That is why the establishment of the Descendancy Center after the Flemish decree in 2019 was so immensely important.

ancestry center

Flemings can go to the Descendancy Center with all their questions about biological descent, but their role is very limited due to the decree. The DNA tests they can offer are limited to confirming first-degree relationships and the workforce they have at their disposal is too small to answer the necessary demand from society.

They are also not allowed to cooperate with the commercial partners, which is right from a privacy and data protection perspective. But that is the reason why many turn to the help of the commercial companies and intermediaries in their search. “All you do is give money and hope that they will do good things with it”, Noémi testified in “Laat” about how she had already experienced that help through trial and error.

The search for biological origin is of existential importance for many in our society. Therefore, do not let descent be a mere commercial activity. Invest in research and in proper counseling for those whose biological ancestry questions have been ignored far too often in the past.

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