Legal Question in Family Law in Georgia
A father's rights
What are the rights that an 18 yr old father has to a child being carried by a 17 yr old mother? Does he have any rights to the child's name? Does he have a right to be informed of any information up until the child is born? And when the child is born, most likely what are the custodial rights he will be given?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: A father's rights
Under Georgia law, all of that depends upon if the parents are married when the child is born. If the parents are married at the time of birth, then the father has the same rights as the mother. If the parents are not married, then the father virtually has no rights other than the obligations to pay child support. If the the father chooses to legitmate the child, which in effect placins the child in the same status as if the parents had married, then the father has the right to ask for custody, visitation and all other rights of a parent. Note that the mother is deemed to have legitmated a child and she automatically has custody when the child is born.
It is improtant to note that just because your name is on the birth certificate as the father, that does not meean you have legitmated the child. If you are not married to the mother, you will need to file this with the court. I suggest that you hire an attorney for this as soon as the child is born.
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