France approves DNA tests for immigrants

PARIS, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- The Constitutional Council in France approved legislation to use DNA testing for immigrants, sparking a debate over privacy rights and discrimination.

A special session of the Council approved legislation that would allow state-funded DNA testing to verify familial ties as a last resort in immigration cases, the International Herald Tribune reported.

The use of genetic testing angered many opponents who feared it invaded rights to privacy and compared the move to French anti-Semitic discrimination measures during World War II.

The court rejected an earlier provision of the bill that called for a consideration of ethnicity in immigration cases on the grounds it was unconstitutional.

A dozen European countries, Australia, Canada, South Korea, and the United States consider results of DNA testing as part of their immigration cases.