Who's your daddy?

Well, if you don't know, Rite Aid has a test for you.

Last week, the pharmacy chain and Utah-based DNA testing firm Identigene rolled out a paternity-testing kit at Rite Aid stores nationwide.

The DNA Paternity Test sells for about $20.

Though the test is not legally binding, Identigene executive Doug Fogg said it is a more discreet method that lessens anxiety for those involved. It can be done in the privacy of one's home instead of at a lab or clinic.

"This test is providing a peace of mind," Fogg said. "And it could be a first step toward taking a legal course of action."

The test requires swabs from inside the cheeks of the man in question and the child. The samples — along with $119 — are sent to Identigene, which analyzes the samples for paternity.

Once Identigene receives the samples, the results — which have a 99.99 percent accuracy rate — are available in three to five days via e-mail, online or through regular mail.

If the adults involved want legally binding results, they need to contact Identigene to apply for testing by a third-party lab and pay an additional $200, Fogg said.

Consumers also could opt to apply through local courts.

Identigene also performs identity and forensic testing for the government, Fogg said.

After four months of piloting the at-home paternity kit in stores on the West Coast, there was so much demand for the product that Rite Aid and Identigene quickly moved to make it nationwide, Rite Aid spokeswoman Ashley Flower said.

"It was a successful product. And based on that demand, it's now in 31 states" where Rite Aid has stores, except for New York state, which allows only court-ordered paternity tests, she said.

Though the paternity kit might be selling well, some are concerned about the ethics of having the kit on store shelves.

"In general, I view making technologies available to individuals as a good thing ... but there may be other problems looming," said Dr. Robert Sade, director of the Institute of Human Values in Health Care at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Consumers should be careful that their genetic makeup is only examined for paternity and not to identify genes for disease, Sade said. They also should be sure to seek counseling before and after the results to stymie any emotional concerns.

Fogg said that Identigene only tests for paternity and that samples are disposed of after six months.

Columbia, S.C., resident Emily Franklin, 22, said she doesn't see anything wrong with having paternity tests available in stores.

But "it is shining a light on a negative situation," she said.

Also, she and friend Hank DeHart said the tests underscore distrust and relationship issues.

"It shows the effects of the 'Maury Povich Show' on our society," said DeHart, a 20-year-old USC journalism student. "And I don't think it will bode well for our children."

Chris Orr, 45, a Columbia massage therapist, said having the test in stores makes it more accessible to men.

About six years ago, Orr ordered a paternity test online and paid about $100 for the test, which he used to determine whether a child from a past relationship was his. The child wasn't.

Chuck Barnett, 63, who is retired and works part-time at Gentleman's Closet in Five Points, S.C., said he is not surprised that these types of tests are now in stores.

"It's a logical progression. The pregnancy test has been out for a long time. ... This is an advantage of technology.

"In the days I grew up, everything was a closed system — you had to go to a doctor. Now you can circumvent that and at a cheaper price," Barnett said.

However, he said it shows a deteriorating family structure. "Every great society ... fell because of a destruction of the family."