Legal Question in Family Law in Tennessee
teen father needing information
i am 16 years old and i recently got told by my ex(who is 14 about to be 15) that she is having a baby. i want to be with her and take care of the baby . i really want to be a man and be resposable but she is telling me that she wants to give the baby up for adoption. i told her that i can understand that and that i would support her if she chose that path. i have read alot about mothers choosing to keep the baby later on and i was wondering what would happen legaly if she decided to keep it. like what would i do about custody and child support.i do want to be with my child as much as possible. also would you recomend me getting a DNA test to make sure that i am the father.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: teen father needing information
You are both minors and most likely not able to take care of a child financially. Giving the child up for adoption is the noble thing to do. If your ex keeps her child, you can petition for visitation time, but probably not custody -- unless she is unable to care for a child. You will also be hit with child support obligations, as soon as you are no longer required to be in school (after your graduate from high school). You should get a paternity if you are obligated to pay child support; in fact, the child support office will insist on it. However, I don't see any point in getting a paternity test if the child is being given up for adoption, unless there is some question in your mind about whether you are the father and you don't want your name on the birth certificate.
Michael A. S. Guth
http://riskmgmt.biz/prose.htm
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