My guilty pleasure is watching episodes of a popular day time talk show where the female guest declares with 1000% certainty that her former lover/husband/boyfriend is indeed the father of her child. After a few minutes of mud-slinging, jeers and cheers - the man is either jumping with joy that he is indeed NOT the father or rolling around in agony at the news that he is undoubtedly the daddy of a bubbling bundle of joy. While we may all laugh at their expense, there are over 200,000 DNA paternity tests done every year and establishing paternity before child support is determined is a requirement in many states.

Legally establishing paternity is not just a "necessary evil", it is also a way to protect the legal interest of your child(ren), and this is even more important when your child was born out of wedlock. When a child is born within a marital relationship, he or she is legally recognized as the child of both parents by virtue of the marriage union. The child is afforded all the legal standing associated with being a "legitimate" child. However a child born to parents who are unmarried is still considered an illegitimate child.

In nearly every state in the country, an unmarried fathers name can not be put on a child's birth certificate without his expressed and written permission. While in the hospital after a child's birth, there are typically forms called "Paternity Waiver" or "Paternity Acknowledgement" where the father can, at that very moment - sign a form in which he acknowledges and accepts that he is the legal father of the baby. At this point his name can be put on the birth certificate and he becomes the "legal" father. This acknowledgement is generally sufficient enough for most family courts and a DNA test is not required after that.

If a father does not acknowledge paternity at birth by signing the required forms, paternity will need to be established through DNA genetic testing. There is usually tension associated with the topic of paternity tests. Fathers are sometimes hesitant to request them because they do not want to offend the mothers and mothers are prone to being offended because no one wants their morals and integrity questioned in such a manner.

It is important that you change the way you view DNA paternity testing. When it comes to protecting the legal rights of your child - there is no room for ego and pride to interfere. By establishing a father as the legitimate parent of a child, the child becomes legally entitled to certain protections. For example, if the father were to pass away prematurely while the child is still a minor - he or she will be entitled to social security survivor benefits.

The exact laws will vary by state, but there are two main instances when states will intervene in this matter:

Welfare Government Assistance: When a woman with children applies for welfare government assistance, she is required to list the father or fathers of her children. If she does not know who the father may be, she has to list all possible fathers. Why is this done? States will seek re-payment of welfare assistance via the Office of Child Support Enforcement from any non-custodial parent. In order to get this repayment, the parent must be listed. In the event that the father has not been legally established either through a paternity acknowledgement or DNA paternity test, the states will sometimes require the testing be done before welfare benefits are allowed.

Establish Child Support: When a mother takes a father to court to establish an enforceable child support order, he has the legal right to have true paternity determined. There are tens of thousands of men who have paid a lifetime of support for children who were later proven to not be theirs. With the advances in science and genetic testing, there is no longer a need for this type of trickery to happen. Because of this, a potential father is well within his rights to request a paternity test.

There are legal advantages to DNA paternity testing and the establishment of paternity - do not allow your ego to cloud your judgement. Take that test today!

Child support is a right due to every child and fair & just treatment should be extended to every parent. The system is here to help you, whether you are a custodial, non-custodial parent, mother, or father. If you have questions about child support, custody or visitation - we have the answers. Visit us today at ==> Child Support Paternity Test

http://www.FindChildSupportAttorneys.com

Thank you in advance!

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