Question

A child was born after the death of his father, and some of them claimed that the child is not from his biological father. DNA fingerprinting was done to identify the father, and the deceased father was found to be the biological father. This child is called as:

• A. Posthumous child
• B. Suppositious child
• C. Illegitimate child

Hint:

Posthumous children are conceived after the father's death and are legally considered as his children if paternity can be confirmed.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Pin down the defining feature.
The key fact is the timing of birth relative to the father: the child was born after the father had already died. The term we need is the one that specifically denotes "born after the father's death."

Step 2: Define the candidate terms.
• Posthumous child - a child delivered after the biological father has died. This matches the scenario precisely.
• Suppositious child - a child fraudulently passed off as another woman's offspring; this concerns false maternity, not the father's death.
• Illegitimate child - a child born to parents not lawfully married; here paternity was confirmed, so this label does not apply.

Step 3: Use the DNA evidence.
DNA fingerprinting confirmed the deceased man as the true biological father, settling the dispute over parentage. With biological paternity established and birth occurring after his death, the medico-legal term is fixed.

Step 4: Conclude.
A child born after the death of the (confirmed) biological father is a posthumous child.

Final answer: Option 1 - Posthumous child.