fathers name on birth certificate

[kerrybeth1]

Could anyone tell me if i do not put the fathers name on the birth certificate - does this mean he will not have to pay child support ??

[lady_p_gold]

Regardless of whether or not he would have to pay child support is it not important for your child's future that he or she would know her true father ??? I think that it is less likely he would have to pay as he would then have to prove that he was the father, or the child support agency would .. unless he acknowledged it. From a moral point of view though I think it needs some thinking about.

[acorn]

Totally agree with lady-p-gold. God, shes good!

[noxlumos]

If your child has no name on the birth certificate it limits the father's automatic rights, so depending upon the current state of your relationship with him you may or may not wish to include his name. If it's a purely financial question, it's less likely he'll have to pay automatically if he's absent on the certificate, but if he's a cause for concern in other ways then you'll probably want to leave him off as it makes it much harder for him to cause difficulty to you later on. You can tell your child who their father is should you choose to, you really don't need to have it written on the birth certificate and if you are unmarried he'll have to be present and agree before his name can be included anyway.Think about all the pros and cons carefully before you decide as the wrong choice could make things very difficult for you either financially or in terms of personal freedom.

[tigilou]

Putting his name on now means he automatically gets parental responsibility and does he deserve it???

[kempie]

So, from tigilou's inference, all women automatically deserve parental responsibility whereas men should have theirs questioned...

That appears to be a double standard which flies in the face of the feminist ideal.

[Curious_Me]

Hi My experience is that if you are NOT married the father MUST be present at the registry office to HAVE his name put on the certificate. If you are married are you still thinking about not including him on the certificate?...can you do this? Also think of your son/daughter as they grow up and reach adulthood what would they think about having 'father unknown' on their birth certificate???

[noxlumos]

I think it's actually common sense. As nice as the ideal idea of having the father's name on the birth certifictae is theoretically, it could potentially lead to all sorts of trouble. If she has her baby and plans to look after it then clearly she is entitled to parental responsibility, but all too often there are indifferent or psychopathically jealous ex partners that would merely seek to destroy someone's personal happiness with that responsibility. If he's a nice guy fair enough but not everyone is ( male or female) and common sense dictates that if he's a pain in the backside prat then he shouldn't have it ( and I'm a man btw , so this isn't a feminist rant).

[kempie]

My point being that not all women make good mothers either.

[kempie]

...and I am not confusing responsibilities with rights, which everyone else here appears to be.

[tigilou]

Kempie half of you dont deserve it

[kempie]

So tigilou, you are saying that half of "you" (whoever "you" may be) do not deserve the responsibility of caring for an infant, and that includes in a financial sense.

Do you understand the difference in the meanings of responsibility and right?

A right is a benefit.
A responsibilty is a burden.

I surmise that what you believe is the exact opposite of what you have written. Unless, of course, you do mean that fathers need not pay towards their offspring.

[tigilou]

Kempie obviously this has hit a raw nerve with you and if anything you have taken it a bit further than needed i am sorry if i have hurt your feelings and after all we are all allowed to give our opinion that is mine and respect for yours. i would also point out that noxlumos has hit the nail on the head. kerrybeth can i just say to you when i registered my child her father was not there and on her certificate it has been left blank not "father unknown" and i wish you luck and do what you think is right

[kempie]

The more I try to explain the less you understand.

I have no vested interest in this issue. I am just trying to point out that the words you are using do not mean what you think they do.

Putting the natural father's name on a birth certificate does not increase the number of Rights he is entitled to but rather the number of Responsibilities for which he must answer.

The Birth Certificate is supposed to be a legally accurate record of the facts pertaining to the birth and parentage of a child, however it appears to have been usurped to be used as some kind of weapon to beat the male gender; a short-sighted view that takes no account of the present nor future needs of the child.

Apologies for trying to put the thread on track.

[noxlumos]

Kempie I think you are confused. Putting a man's name on a birth certificate gives him legal rights which if his name is not present he does not have.The term "parental responsibility" simply means that he has an equal say in the childs upbringing with the childs mother.

[kempie]

But he can still seek those rights through the courts by applying for a Parental Responsibility Order (PRO).

[noxlumos]

I don't think anyone has argued that, of course he can. However if he has no genuine interest in the child, onl;y in using that child to disrupt the mother's life ( which is the point I was making ) then it makes it altogether more hassle for him to start slinging his weight about with what is essentially a girl on her own with a young baby.Having been married twice and having custody of my children from my first marriage, I'm the first one to take onboard what you're saying about not all women are good mothers either, but if a girl is in a situation where she realises that her baby's father is going to be a menace then, it's only common sense that she doesn't give him voluntarily any more power over herself and her child than absolutely necessary.My present wife has a son from a previous relationship, whose father is not on his birth certificate, and although she afforded the father unlimited visiting rights ( which he never took up) it was by her grace not a matter that he had the right automatically. It gave her a greater degree of power with what was a very difficult man.Equally, for similar reasons,she did not ask him for any child maintenance and he never offered it.He's now 21 years old and a very stable, nice lad. He knows who his Dad is, his mother has never disrespected his father to him but he's looked at his track record and has seen the glaring lack of interest and has judged him accordingly.If a man wants to see his child the he should be allowed to but he has to behave suitably, all I was saying is not all men do.

[kempie]

I appreciate that all situations are different and without knowing various aspects of kerrybeth1's particular case it is not wise to advocate one course of action but rather to give a balanced view of all options.

I took exception to the word "deserve" in a post because of the implication that the mother of an infant should be able to award "parental responsibility" to the father as a prize, based on her relationship with him rather than in the best interests for the welfare of the child.

[Goodsoulette]

to actually answer your csa question, being a typical marine my first sons father scarpered when he found realised me being pregnant meant he would have to put someone other than himself and his job first. As we were unmarried he couldnt go on the virth certificate as he did not attend with me. If you plan to claim income support or other benefits after you maternity pay runs out the csa pester you for his details, and if you dont they cut your pay to something like 40% as punishment.

[Goodsoulette]

Oh and if he contests that he is the father he has to pay for the paternity test as they basicly take your word for it.

[mat2010]

The birth certificate is the childs! and the child, I think should have both parents on it. It should not be the mothers decision whether the father is on the birth certificate after all she has still chosen to have a child with this man, the mother should not be allow ed to act as judge and jury over the father, this often has the effect of making it more difficult for the father and child to bond with the mother bearing over them, there should be as much respect for the father as the mother. Theres a white paper to make it mandatory to put the fathers name on the birth certificate, as it should be, to not allow this to be used as power over the father!