In a deeply distressing case from the US, a 28-year-old woman from Yonkers, New York, is suing two DNA testing laboratories after alleged errors in paternity test results led her to terminate her pregnancy - a decision she says has left her emotionally shattered and ended her long-term relationship.
According to The New York Post, the woman, an administrative assistant who requested anonymity, claims she was misled by paternity reports from Winn Health Labs in the Bronx and the DNA Diagnostics Center (DDC) based in Ohio. She says the incorrect results prompted her to abort a baby she believed was not fathered by her fiance.
"My daughter would have been born on the 17th of April," she told the outlet, in tears. "I'm grieving. I just have a lot of emotions. These results were the reason why I decided to do what I did."
The woman and her fiance had been trying to conceive but briefly separated last year due to the stress. During this break, she had a one-time protected encounter with another man. When the couple reconciled and she later discovered she was pregnant, she believed the child was her fiance's - but sought paternity testing to be sure, fearing the past encounter might complicate things.
After two inconclusive results - reportedly costing over $1,000 (approx. Rs 82,000) - she and her partner submitted new samples to Winn Health Labs in October. The lab, which she claims operates out of the back of a hair salon, soon delivered a shocking result: the father was the other man, with 99.99% certainty.
The news came just before Halloween, and by then, the woman was nearly 20 weeks pregnant - dangerously close to New York's 24-week legal limit for abortions. She says she was devastated and had to confess the brief affair to her fiance who was heartbroken.
"He just cried," she said. "He asked, 'Why would you go through a gender reveal?' I told him, 'Because I was positive it was yours.'"
After undergoing a two-day termination procedure, the woman says she began to have doubts, but by then, it was too late.
The most harrowing moment came months later. On Valentine's Day, the DNA Diagnostics Center reportedly contacted her and admitted the paternity result had been incorrect - blaming an "IT error" for the mistake. The man she had briefly been with was not the father, the lab confirmed, according to a lawsuit now filed against both facilities.
The couple tried to stay together after the revelation but eventually broke up in March.
DDC has issued a general statement acknowledging the incident but did not comment directly on the lawsuit. "For 30 years, DDC has provided reliable and accurate testing... If any concern is raised, we take immediate action... We understand and appreciate the incredible amount of trust people place in us."
Her attorney, Craig Phemister, questioned why it took four months to correct such a crucial mistake. "When people are making major life decisions based on these results, the delay is simply unacceptable."
Now undergoing therapy, the woman is determined to hold the labs accountable and raise awareness. "How many other people did this happen to?" she asked.
The lawsuit is expected to raise serious questions around regulation, accuracy, and oversight in the growing DNA testing industry - particularly as more people use such results to make life-altering decisions.
