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Hey yall--I have been trying to get a correct answer to this question: When a man fathers a child by two different women, are those children half brothers and sisters? I've always believed that if a child have the same Father, they are whole. The majority of people I've talked to, especially MY FOLKS, says if a woman has a child by two different men, they are whole brothers or sister. HELP! (I'd also appreciate some references to back up your answer.)
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<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibling">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibling</a><!-- m -->
Full sibling
A full sibling, is a sibling that shares both parents. Outside a case of identical multiples (such as identical twins or triplets), biological siblings will, on average, share 50% of their DNA since each will receive half of each parent's set of chromosomes. By chance distribution of the chromosomes, it is possible for full siblings to share as little as 0% or as much as 100% of their DNA, but these scenarios are extremely unlikely.
Half sibling
A half sibling (half brother or half sister) is a sibling with one shared biological parent. A half sibling that shares the same mother (but different fathers) is known as a uterine sibling, whereas one that shares the same father is known as an agnate sibling. In law, the term consanguine is used in place of agnate. In addition, first cousins who between them have a set of parents who are identical twins, while technically not siblings, are genetically equivalent to half siblings. Half siblings can have a wide variety of interpersonal relationships, from a bond as close as any full siblings, to total strangers.
At law (and especially inheritance law) half siblings were often accorded unequal treatment. Old English common law at one time incorporated inequalities into the laws of intestate succession, with half siblings taking only half as much property of their intestate siblings' estates as other siblings of full-blood. Unequal treatment of this type has been wholly abolished in England and throughout the United States.
