Consent is not consent if it is uninformed consent. The person giving consent must understand what they are consenting to – the type of test and what it will show. It is also important that they have given serious consideration to the implications of finding out the results of the Test – the consequences of which may be irrevocable.
Consent must be voluntary, i.e. the person giving consent must give consent of their own free will and must not be subjected to undue influence, pressure or threat of any kind.
Consent may be withdrawn at any time. If any party to a test subsequently withdraws their consent, Assure DNA must be notified immediately and the processing of samples will be stopped.
In Scotland, a person who is 16 or over has the legal capacity to consent for themselves.