The value of information of duration of pregnancy in establishment of paternity

Summary In order to get an idea of the value of the information on the duration of pregnancy in establishment of paternity, 511 records from 17 lower courts in Sweden were studied.It was found that when a blood group investigation has been performed, only a small number of cases remain where the paternity claim should be rejected by a court of law for the reason that the period of pregnancy has been extremely long or short.It was shown that only very extreme probability values (percentages) should give reason for rejection of paternity claims if a larger risk of error is to be avoided. The risk is somewhat smaller with long pregnancies than with short ones.The results of this study emphasize the difficulties involved in probability assessment in paternity suits.This report was presented at the Seventh International Medical-Legal Seminar, Stockholm 1971.