Of course I would never want anyone to be required to get a DNA test. (Reply #29)

In the discussion thread: DNA Heritage Tests - Why Would E. Warren or Anybody Bother? [View all]

Mon Mar 12, 2018, 10:36 AM

29. Of course I would never want anyone to be required to get a DNA test.

That way dangerous things lie. I am aware that there are questions about using these tests in employment and insurance situations, which would be a bad thing. I'm not worried for myself because I'm old and retired, but the concern is legitimate.

As to Elizabeth Warren, she is absolutely within her rights to tell anyone who demands she get tested to go pound sand. And if she did do it, her DNA might show no Native American ancestry even if other relatives' did, because of the way particular bits of genetic information are inherited. Your mother might be 1/4 German, for example, which should mean you'd be 1/8 German, but your DNA might show no German ancestry at all - that's because while we get 50% of our DNA from each of our parents, they don’t give each child the same 50% (except for identical twins). And anyhow, she'd just be giving legitimacy to her critics.

This is the DU member formerly known as The Velveteen Ocelot.

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123 replies	Author	Time	Post
DNA Heritage Tests - Why Would E. Warren or Anybody Bother? [View all]	MineralMan	Mar 2018	OP
These "DNA tests" are bogus.	Archae	Mar 2018	#1
My wife's father's family were Volga Deutsch.	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#3
I've taken several DNA tests	CanonRay	Mar 2018	#8
The DNA test I got even cited the same two counties where my father had found his relatives.	pnwmom	Mar 2018	#114
Ive taken 3 and the results are more or less the same.	BannonsLiver	Mar 2018	#26
In the few cases in which there really are "wildly" different results	Mariana	Mar 2018	#74
My daughter just received her results.	StarryNite	Mar 2018	#109
My cousin had it done.	Mariana	Mar 2018	#122
I found relatives that I lost, it has been amazing. Nt	USALiberal	Mar 2018	#123
That's some bold white privilege rolling out there	Blue_Adept	Mar 2018	#2
If one is curious, then it's fine, of course.	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#5
"I have no problem with people doing it. I just don't see the utility of it"	Bonx	Mar 2018	#39
I see great utility in intellectual curiosity, and if	Hortensis	Mar 2018	#119
I agree.	scarletlib	Mar 2018	#7
I don't think that was the poster's point	leftstreet	Mar 2018	#21
In search of purity	dalton99a	Mar 2018	#4
LOL!	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#6
My main issues are privacy concerns.	madaboutharry	Mar 2018	#9
As long as all my past ancestors came from planet Earth,	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#10
I agree.	madaboutharry	Mar 2018	#12
Wish I Could Say That With Certainty, MM	ProfessorGAC	Mar 2018	#75
Well, that's on you, isn't it?	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#92
Dad's parents shed any identification they had with their Indian ancestry	bigtree	Mar 2018	#11
It has always been my assumption that anything is possible	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#14
a search to determine ancestry can be a necessary one	bigtree	Mar 2018	#19
My father was born in Oklahoma. There has always been this story	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#46
is it really 'just vanity?'	bigtree	Mar 2018	#48
It's my opinion. Everything I write here is my opinion.	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#59
I think most of the people who have an issue with her accounting of her heritage	bigtree	Mar 2018	#62
I named her in the title of my post for a reason.	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#65
that's why I provided concrete reasons for testing	bigtree	Mar 2018	#66
My words don't carry all that much weight, bigtree.	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#67
your opinion	bigtree	Mar 2018	#76
both grandparents came from Oklahoma...born in the territory..NA stories everywhere in our oral	samnsara	Mar 2018	#55
Not surprising, really.	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#57
Government recognized tribal affiliation has to be proven via enrollment records	bigbrother05	Mar 2018	#61
Some people are interested in history and some aren't.	pnwmom	Mar 2018	#115
Stop making sense, dammit...	First Speaker	Mar 2018	#13
I can't. It must be in my genes.	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#15
I am adopted - i have complicated feelings about this	el_bryanto	Mar 2018	#16
That is truly a dilemma.	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#22
This message was self-deleted by its author	Mosby	Mar 2018	#77
Hi Bryant - I'm not adopted, but both of our children are.	Pendrench	Mar 2018	#84
It should be whatever feels right to you -- but it wouldn't be a sign of disloyalty to your parents.	pnwmom	Mar 2018	#96
A third cousin found me...her mother was adopted.	nini	Mar 2018	#110
It is basically a scam.	alarimer	Mar 2018	#17
Many reasons	Crepuscular	Mar 2018	#18
Have you seen this fascinating story in The Washington Post?	Hassin Bin Sober	Mar 2018	#35
That's truly amazing. What a great story about solving	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#41
Thanks	Crepuscular	Mar 2018	#45
My good friend recently discovered her sister is really her half sister.	Hassin Bin Sober	Mar 2018	#108
Wow! What a story. Thanks so much for posting.	Exotica	Mar 2018	#95
I did it out of curiosity; no real surprises.	The Velveteen Ocelot	Mar 2018	#20
I don't care what others decide to do, really.	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#24
Of course I would never want anyone to be required to get a DNA test.	The Velveteen Ocelot	Mar 2018	#29
Consider this argument	hexola	Mar 2018	#23
I learned quite a bit from mine	BannonsLiver	Mar 2018	#25
A friend did this	snowybirdie	Mar 2018	#27
Yes. The newer tests can reveal things other than simple regional heritage.	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#28
I would actually love to do DNA testing	Clarity2	Mar 2018	#30
Ancestry doesn't test for health	BannonsLiver	Mar 2018	#31
Thanks	Clarity2	Mar 2018	#103
This is an area of DNA testing that actually can be helpful. I'm an older adoptee...	WePurrsevere	Mar 2018	#94
Thank you	Clarity2	Mar 2018	#104
FWIW, Ancestry does what's called autosomal testing so gender isn't an issue.	WePurrsevere	Mar 2018	#111
Great - thank you! nt	Clarity2	Mar 2018	#121
My mother completely lost touch with cousins she loved who moved when she was young.	pnwmom	Mar 2018	#32
I have some cousins on my father's side who I haven't seen for over 50 years.	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#34
Well, you don't. That doesn't mean other people wouldn't be glad to find some long-lost relatives.	pnwmom	Mar 2018	#40
And yet, I can still wonder why anyone would bother.	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#43
Yes, you certainly can. But your OP asked why ANYONE would bother.	pnwmom	Mar 2018	#47
Babies being swapped at birth would probably be a very big deal to anyone.	The Velveteen Ocelot	Mar 2018	#49
Really, no. It wouldn't change who raised me.	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#51
Well,	Crepuscular	Mar 2018	#73
I'm 72 years old, and my life has been a very complex one.	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#82
My Sister Was Adopted	ProfessorGAC	Mar 2018	#78
Being swapped at birth isn't the same as being adopted.	The Velveteen Ocelot	Mar 2018	#81
I can see	Crepuscular	Mar 2018	#90
Ok, dad. nt	LexVegas	Mar 2018	#33
I can assure you with 100% certainty that I am not your father.	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#36
I know, right?	Tipperary	Mar 2018	#37
I think its fascinating and you can uncover some real surprising results. nt	LexVegas	Mar 2018	#38
ICAM. They are a waste of money. I've called it a hobby for the rich	lunamagica	Mar 2018	#42
Well, if people want to spend their money that way, I don't care, either.	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#44
Do You Only Do Things	RobinA	Mar 2018	#107
Think of genealogy and dna testing this way....it's a bit like astronomy.	chowder66	Mar 2018	#50
So, then, they should do it.	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#52
Here is what I said about Warren and DNA	chowder66	Mar 2018	#58
I'm glad we agree about Elizabeth Warren.	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#60
Some people are more curious than others, I think.	The Velveteen Ocelot	Mar 2018	#53
almost everyone i know has taken them and we gave them as xmas gifts..	samnsara	Mar 2018	#54
OK. I don't mind if you do.	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#56
I tend to agree	matt819	Mar 2018	#63
We only met our	MFM008	Mar 2018	#64
Why judge?	KatyMan	Mar 2018	#68
Because some people were insisting that Elizabeth Warren	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#71
OK, in Warren's case, or yours, that's fine	KatyMan	Mar 2018	#80
I am with you	Egnever	Mar 2018	#69
Its the same BS the birthers pulled on Obama	arthritisR_US	Mar 2018	#70
Exactly. This thread is about whether E. Warren should	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#72
I think if you had stated your OP in terms of whether EW was obligated to do it	The Velveteen Ocelot	Mar 2018	#79
You're right. And the result would be exactly the same.	Mariana	Mar 2018	#99
Excellent point and dead on!	arthritisR_US	Mar 2018	#100
If Elizabeth W. isn't actually NA by blood or kin, it isn't surprising.	Freelancer	Mar 2018	#83
If you qualify to be on the Cherokee rolls because of your ancestors, then you're Cherokee.	pnwmom	Mar 2018	#113
To each their own	Maeve	Mar 2018	#85
Mine was a real bonus; so glad I did it	Awsi Dooger	Mar 2018	#86
I found cousins too!	MountCleaners	Mar 2018	#118
Not to mention data for sale could end up used against you	lostnfound	Mar 2018	#87
Actually, the health insurance companies already have that data.	MineralMan	Mar 2018	#91
They would be breaking their contract if they do that and could be sued. Read the contract	pnwmom	Mar 2018	#116
Nobody cares except the racist motherfucker who are shouting for it.	TheSmarterDog	Mar 2018	#88
I see no need to drop $80 or $100 to some company process my DNA.	CentralMass	Mar 2018	#89
NPR had a DNA expert on a thing about these tests,	pansypoo53219	Mar 2018	#93
Reminds me of a Heinlein quote	Lord_at_War	Mar 2018	#97
I was curious, but the people who have the info don't answer questions	ecstatic	Mar 2018	#98
My sisters are big on DNA testing and finding long-lost relatives.	Sophia4	Mar 2018	#101
My parents do not know much about my family beyond their home states.	RandySF	Mar 2018	#102
If you upload your raw data to a better site, it's worth it	Blaukraut	Mar 2018	#105
Well,	RobinA	Mar 2018	#106
Forget about DNA tests, because Saturday, we're all Irish.	oasis	Mar 2018	#112
I did it as an aid to genealogy; I already knew what my ethnic ancestry was.	Spider Jerusalem	Mar 2018	#117
That would be the uncurious and anti-science perspective.	aikoaiko	Mar 2018	#120

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