Legal Question in Family Law in Illinois
I am 26 weeks pregnant and unwed. A few weeks ago, I off communication with the baby's father for a number of reasons I won't go into here. He continues to send me text messages, so tomorrow I will be changing my phone number. If we still are not communicating when I deliver, am I legally obligated to notify him that the baby has been born? If I do not list him on the birth certificate or acknowledge paternity and I do not have to contact him when the baby is born, how will he find out? Does anything about the situation change if I move out of state?
1 Answer from Attorneys
You can do the above (and you're not "legally obligate" to inform him of the birth), but there are things he can do as well. Ultimately, if I were him and I really wanted custody time with my child, I'd bring a custody suit against you and request the court order a paternity test. Once that action determined paternity, then I would sue for custody rights. Of course, with such rights go obligations (e.g., child support). The simplest answer to your question, however, is that you do not have to affirmatively acknowledge his paternity.
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