The Top 5 Reasons Why Unwed-Parents Must Establish Paternity
“It takes a village to raise a child” is more than an Africanproverb, and when the village is small and one parent is missingthe task becomes even more challenging. Fortunately, beingproactive and understanding your rights as a parent will ...
...helpalleviate any issues that might arise as you take on the role ofsingle parent. Every child has the right to a parent-childrelationship with both parents, and all three deserve anopportunity to develop, enjoy and grow in the relationship.Establishing Paternity 1. Every child has the right to know bothparents and have the father’s name appear on the birthcertificate. Voluntarily establishing paternity is not expensiveand does not have to involve an attorney or attorney fees. Bothparents may contact the State Department/Division of VitalRecords and Health Statistics, Central Paternity Registry, orthe Department of Community Health and request an Affidavit ofPaternity. There may be a small fee for filing this document butit will ensure legal paternity is established.Paternity Testing 2. Paternity testing is a series of genetictests used to indicate the likelihood that a man is, or is notthe biological father of a child. The most common method usedtoday is DNA testing which are 99.9 percent accurate indetermining that a man is not the father. The child can betested at any age, and the DNA test is obtained by rubbing acotton tipped swab on the inside of the check or DNA can beextracted from blood or other tissues. The court will determinewho will pay for the paternity test. Laboratories performingpaternity test should be accredited by the American Associationof Blood Banks (AABB).Financial Security 3. The law requires both parents supporttheir children. This is true even if the pregnancy is unplanned.Children supported by one parent often do not have enough moneyfor their needs. A child support order cannot be established ifpaternity is not proven.Survivor & other Benefits 4. Medical and dental insurance may beavailable through the non-custodial parent’s employer, union, ormilitary service. Medical assistance programs may be availablethrough the local and/or state family/child assistance agencies.If something should happen to either parent, the child couldqualify for Social Security, pensions, inheritance rights,veterans’ benefits and life insurance. Paternity must beestablished to receive these benefits.Keep Track of Child Support Information 5. It is imperative thatboth parents, (the custodial and non-custodial) keep track ofparent information, parenting time, (visitations), receipt ofchild support payments, court ordered or not, names of childsupport workers, attorney contacts, names of judges/referees,docket/court numbers etc. concerning the child support case.Remember to keep this information in a secure location and letsomeone you trust know where this information can be found inthe event of an emergency.
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