Legal Question in Family Law in Texas
What do we do, my son is 16 and was trapped by a girl
My son is 16yrs old and dated a girl for only 2 weeks, and she had told him she was on birth control so there was NO way she could get pregnant, but come to find out from her mother that she never took birth control,so in a way she trapped him even though he is also responsible for his actions ..well she has decided to keep the baby and is now 5 months pregnant, and my son wants no part of this baby whats so ever, I explained to him that we will be apart of it's life if the baby is yours...now is he responible in any way for this child and I will be getting a perturnity test done so we know for sure ..could that hurt him in any way by law. do you know of any repitable dna places and is that strictly confidential, for us since we are going to pay for it ..it is just something we need to know before we start loving the child.what is the law on this kind of situation, he turns 17 in december and the baby suppose to be born in the first week of january...please help.
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: What do we do, my son is 16 and was trapped by a girl
First, you need to see a laywer about getting the DNA test done. Most of the time, the parties can agree to it, but if not, then he will need a court order. The baby, the mom, and your son will have to be tested. If your son is declared the father by the court without a DNA test and it later is found that he was not the father, it will be too late to change that determination.
If he is the biological father, then he will be responsible for supporting the child until the child is eighteen. I suspect that his attitude towards the baby will change after the baby is born. That will probably be good for everyone.
He will be entitled to reasonable possession of the child and most of the rights and duties of a parent. If he wants any exclusive rights or if he wishes to be consulted before major decisions are made, then he should have a lawyer to help negotiate or litigate those issues.
He needs to remember that if he does not participate in the legal case and child support is awarded, he may end up paying more child support than he should have to. Also, if he does not pay, then he can be held in contempt and jailed for any arrearage. This is true whether or not he participates in the child's life.
Your son really needs an attorney to explain all aspects of this to him.
Re: What do we do, my son is 16 and was trapped by a girl
You and your son really need to discuss this matter with an attorney. There are testing places that do the process and are reasonably confidential. As for legal responsibilities, these issues should be discussed in private during a consultaion. If you would like to set up an appointment, please contact my office. I would be happy to discuss this with you and your son.
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