Establishing Paternity
Unwed New York fathers may ask themselves if establishing paternity is important. After all, you can still take part in your child’s life even without legal paternity. But it offers much less stability.
In fact, some fathers who do not establish paternity face large hurdles. They may find themselves bumped out of their child’s life. Today we will take a look at how and why this is possible.
Legal rights of a biological father
The National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse discusses the importance of establishing paternity. They stress that a father cannot hold legal rights until they establish paternity. This is easier for married men. The law assumes a married man is the biological father of his wife’s child. Unwed men must go through extra steps to establish paternity.
But it is a crucial thing to do if you want involvement in your child’s life. It is true that you can have paternal involvement without legal paternity. But this can change without warning. A mother holds no legal obligation to you if you are not the legal father of the child. This means she does not have to take any of your opinions into consideration when it comes to raising the child. This involves deciding:
- Where your child attends school
- What their healthcare looks like
- What religion their mother raises them with
- Where they live
The importance of paternity
In fact, the child’s mother does not even have to tell you if or when they move. They do not need to disclose where they move. It is possible for a father without paternity to lose contact with their children. They do not have a legal leg to stand on in these cases.
To avoid this outcome, it is important to establish paternity. This unlocks legal rights of fatherhood that you otherwise would not have.
