Birth Certificate Question

[emsxray]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Ohio

This is a multi-faceted question regarding a father's rights to the pregnancy.
I have a substance abuse patient who impregnated a woman. He does not want the child, but the woman refused abortion (not my position to judge his decision/beliefs). Since she is set on having it, he does not want his name on the birth certificate. He wants no part of the child's life due to his age, marital status and the circumstances surrounding his substance abuse and sugeested abortion due to his financial status (he is an unemployed inpatient in a psychiatric hospital currently). The mother apparently wants him involved. Does he have the right to refuse to have his name on it if the couple was unmarried at the time of conception?

 

[TinkerBelleLuvr]

If she involves the court with a court order for:
paternity
child support
parenting time

Then, he'll need to answer to the court. Once your patient gave away his sperm to the woman, he lost control over what happens.

If the mommy-to-be wants child support, then, if the DNA proves him to be daddy, he'll be on the hook for the next 18 years.

He does NOT have to visit with the child if he doesn't want to.

 

[emsxray]

Thank you.

Would she be allowed to put his name on the certificate against his will though? He is expressing conern that the child will want to meet him and believes that the child is better off not knowing/meeting given his background, substance use/abuse and mental status.

 

[TinkerBelleLuvr]

Unless he is in the hospital signing an AOP (acknowledgement of paternity), then it will take a court order for the father's name to be on the birth certificate.

 

[ecmst12]

His beliefs are wrong.

 

[Proserpina]

Thank you.

Would she be allowed to put his name on the certificate against his will though? He is expressing conern that the child will want to meet him and believes that the child is better off not knowing/meeting given his background, substance use/abuse and mental status.

Against his will?

Having sex = risk of pregnancy. Outside of rape and surgical sterilization (and even that isn't foolproof), every time a man has sex with a woman there will be a risk of pregnancy.

This is not against his will.

 

[AHA]

Thank you.

Would she be allowed to put his name on the certificate against his will though? He is expressing conern that the child will want to meet him and believes that the child is better off not knowing/meeting given his background, substance use/abuse and mental status.

The child should know these things at some point in his/her life. Those are not minor issues, and could end up being suffered by the child later on as well. Knowledge = Prevention.