Legal Question in Family Law in Georgia
My husband is the father of three children who were all conceived before our relationship began. His youngest son currently lives with us. He is 10 years old. Recently, my husband found out that the child is not his biological son. My husband is not and never has been under a child support order because he has always taken care of his children. We also provide medical/health insurance for them as well. The child was conceived pprior to the mom being 18. They were never married but my husband did sign the birth certificate. What are his options? Although in my heart of hearts, I know he probably will never stop caring for this child, I think it is in the interest of my other two step-children that we get some clarity. For every dollar that my husband spends on the child that is not biologically his, he is diminishing what he does for the two who are biologically his children.
2 Answers from Attorneys
Your husband must first address the moral aspects of abandoning a child he cares for. He needs to sit down with an attorney. Since he has no custody rights to a child absent a court order, he needs to evaluate all of his options after a detailed conversation with counsel.
From your post, one might wonder if this is not your issue. As far as neglecting the other two, how do you think the other two will feel when they see dad just drop the 10 year old child who lives with him? That could harm them much more than the alleged money issue. Again, the question is who really has the problem, and why.