I like genealogy, so I think it's cool. Since it's completely optional and there are ways to somewhat safeguard your privacy, I have no objection to the sites.

I think it’s great, personally not willingly giving my DNA to any company, made them return my placenta at birth.

I helped a family member I didn’t even know existed connect with her biological father who was never given a paternity test. He lived his whole life thinking she wasn’t his, and 40 years later because I took a DNA test, they were able to connect.

It helped me find my biological parents, who had also taken the tests in hopes of finding me.

Anonymous wrote:Keeping secrets is what destroys families

This right here ^^

DNA testing turned up a whopper of a secret in my family!!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In general I think it’s a good thing. My kid is adopted though so would probably counsel her against it. If she wants to do it at 18 we will discuss the potential can of worms she may open.

Why would you counsel her against having connections with her genetic family and knowing more genetic information? You will always be her family but she has more family, too. She deserves to know her heritage and history and, if she chooses, to have connections to her relatives. Seriously, other than possessiveness, what would prompt you to counsel against this?

DP. I thought about it but we have an open adoption and if the birth father is the birth father his family are really bad people and not something we want to risk. We already have contact with birth moms family. I think there are probably more siblings than those I know of but they are all minors.

I found my sister through Ancestry DNA. She had been lost to my family through adoption. Tragically, my mom had died before we found each other, but we have been in reunion now for 5 years (we are both in our 50’s) and it is truly the best blessing and surprise other than the birth of my own child. We are close and my life is so much richer for having her in it. She had her husband are my child’s best aunt and uncle and she just fits….like a puzzle piece we were missing, as we truly were. We have all changed shape, of course, to make room for each other. It has been wonderful for both families. An unexpected joy is hoe much her adoptive mother is now in our family, too. I only wish my mom had lived to have the joy and healing of a relationship with her child.

Anonymous wrote:In general I think it’s a good thing. My kid is adopted though so would probably counsel her against it. If she wants to do it at 18 we will discuss the potential can of worms she may open.

Why would you counsel her against having connections with her genetic family and knowing more genetic information? You will always be her family but she has more family, too. She deserves to know her heritage and history and, if she chooses, to have connections to her relatives. Seriously, other than possessiveness, what would prompt you to counsel against this?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pro - adding to knowledge, which is a good thing the majority of the time.

Con - giving up personal information about your predispositions to disease which could be used against you by insurance.

No it cannot be used against you by insurance.

Why not? Just because it us not currently does not mean it will not be in the future. You have taken away the choice for your descendants

You don’t have to give your real name or location for those tests. Just make a fictitious email address. Although guess the government could track you from that if they really wanted to.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pro - adding to knowledge, which is a good thing the majority of the time.

Con - giving up personal information about your predispositions to disease which could be used against you by insurance.

No it cannot be used against you by insurance.

In the dystopian future of my imagination, it can be used against you in all sorts of ways- decisions about who should be having children, deciding who should get to go into certain careers, limiting who gets on the spacecraft going to mars before earth blows up. Less than 100 years ago there was a major eugenics program run by one of the powers of the “civilized world.” Pretending it can’t happen again is just willfully stupid.

If it ever got to this, don't you think the government would just force us into giving our DNA anyway?

Two guy friends (one in his 50’s and one in his 60’s) found out they had adult children they never knew existed. From a time when one night stands were the only time you had contact with someone. One of kids said his mom only knew my friends first name and had no way to track him down.

One friend in her 40’s found a half-sister (surprisingly from her mom) and another the same age found out that the man who had raised her and passed away when she was in high school wasn’t her biological father, and that she was not full siblings with her two sisters and brother she was raised with. And she has several full siblings she never knew about. Some crazy things can come out of those tests.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pro - adding to knowledge, which is a good thing the majority of the time.

Con - giving up personal information about your predispositions to disease which could be used against you by insurance.

Nope, it can not be used against you in any way. There's literally no way it would ever affect insurance. Internet myth, they don't understand how it works.

You are incredibly naive and misinformed.

I have to assume that poster was beieng sarcastic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pro - adding to knowledge, which is a good thing the majority of the time.

Con - giving up personal information about your predispositions to disease which could be used against you by insurance.

Nope, it can not be used against you in any way. There's literally no way it would ever affect insurance. Internet myth, they don't understand how it works.

You are incredibly naive and misinformed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pro - adding to knowledge, which is a good thing the majority of the time.

Con - giving up personal information about your predispositions to disease which could be used against you by insurance.

No it cannot be used against you by insurance.

In the dystopian future of my imagination, it can be used against you in all sorts of ways- decisions about who should be having children, deciding who should get to go into certain careers, limiting who gets on the spacecraft going to mars before earth blows up. Less than 100 years ago there was a major eugenics program run by one of the powers of the “civilized world.” Pretending it can’t happen again is just willfully stupid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pro - adding to knowledge, which is a good thing the majority of the time.

Con - giving up personal information about your predispositions to disease which could be used against you by insurance.

No it cannot be used against you by insurance.

Why not? Just because it us not currently does not mean it will not be in the future. You have taken away the choice for your descendants