Paternity Rights And Responsibilities

Perhaps the best way to start this discussion is with a statement of fact. In the eyes of the law, paternity is the legal or biological relationship between a child and his or her biological parents. In nearly all cases the father is the one in question.. Paternity deals with the rights and obligations of both the biological or natural father and the child to each other as well as to others. A child's paternity may be relevant in relation to issues of legitimacy, inheritance and rights to a putative father's title or surname, as well as the biological father's rights to custody and obligations for child support.

A child born to a married woman during a marriage is presumed under common law to be the child of her husband by a "presumption of paternity" or presumption of legitimacy. In consideration of possibly mis-attributed paternity, these presumptions may be rebutted by evidence to the contrary, for example, in disputed child custody and child support cases during divorce, annulment or legal separation.

In the case of a father not married to a child's mother, a man may come forward and accept the paternity of the child in what is called a "voluntary acknowledgment of paternity", the mother or government can file a petition for a determination of paternity against a putative father, or paternity can be determined by the courts over time. Currently, when paternity is in dispute or doubt, DNA testing may be used to conclusively resolve this matter.

When a voluntary acknowledgment of paternity is arranged the amount of infighting is reduced considerably/ This step is mediation is the best way to bring the parties together in a more relaxed atmosphere.

Given the increased rate of divorced and unwed parents, many parents have begun to examine fathers' rights in child-rearing and family planning. Fathers' rights can include a father's right to parenting time with his children, the right to be consulted before adoption, and the right to time off from work to raise his child. You may also want to learn about the fathers' rights movement, proposals for family law reform, and notable fathers' rights legal cases.

If you have parental responsibility, your most important roles (among others) are to:

    provide a home for the child
    protect and maintain the child

If you have parental responsibility for a child you don’t live with, you don’t necessarily have a right to contact with them - but the other parent still needs to keep you apprised about their well-being and life progress.

At WHYmediate?, Find out why mediation will allow you to resolve marital conflicts in a positive learning environment that covers how to deal with all the special days in your life.

WHYmediate? Mediation Services
4500 South Lakeshore Drive Suite 300 
Tempe, AZ 85282 
(480) 777-5500
http://whymediate.solutions