Ancestry test reveals a cousin's paternity
- Kind
- Ethical dilemma
Prompt
Your cousin Dana, 26, is the person in your family you are closest to. She asks to meet you and shows you the results of a home DNA ancestry kit she bought for fun. The results show no genetic link to her father, your uncle, who is 64 and has raised her lovingly her whole life. Instead, the site lists a man in another city, whom she has never heard of, as her likely biological father, and he has an account she could message. Dana is shaken. She asks whether she should confront her mother, tell her father, contact the stranger, or delete her account and say nothing. Your uncle's 65th birthday party, which the whole family will attend, is in two weeks. What would you advise her?
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After you practice: what this question tests and how to approach it
What this question tests
- Ethical reasoning
- Empathy and compassion
- Communication
How to approach this question
This MMI station tests whether you can support a shaken cousin through a family secret without pushing her toward any one choice, with a family event two weeks away. Start with how Dana is feeling, and resist rushing to advice. Name everyone affected: Dana, her father, her mother, the man listed as a match, and the wider family. Walk through each of her options and its likely consequences, and help her see which decisions can wait until after the birthday party. Suggest support such as a counselor, and help her work out what she wants to know and why. If the station brings in a family member asking you to influence Dana, consider where your loyalty lies and whose decision this is.
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