Men are obligated by law to support their children, whether they are married to the mother or not. This support comes in the form of providing financial resources for the child's education, medical needs, and daily essentials — a.k.a child support.
Although unknown to many, there are men who end up shelling out money for child support for years only to find out later that the child wasn't theirs to begin with. There are three reasons this happens, mostly owing to the urgency of the whole process.
1. Timing
After a child is born, the supposed father is only given 72 hours to sign off on a paternity affidavit to put his name on the birth certificate and have the child take his last name. With the child being born, the paternity affidavit is just one of many pieces of paperwork that need to be taken care of.
Everything is happening all at once and so quickly that the thought of disputing paternal relationships often gets thrown out the door.
2. Misunderstanding
The urgency of signing the paternity affidavit also leads to misunderstanding about what it is and what it's for. Many men sign the document under the impression that it's just a formality to put him in the birth certificate and give the child their last name.
However, a paternity affidavit is actually a legally binding document. Once it is signed, the man is confirming that he is indeed the child's father and only has 60 days to go to court and request a DNA test to prove that the child is theirs.
3. Social Pressure
Social pressure can also come into play, causing men to stay quiet about their suspicions and sign the paternity affidavit immediately. Of course, they don't want to offend the mother and accuse her of sleeping around, especially during a stressful moment of having a child.
But instead of worrying about and giving into social pressure, men should think about themselves. They could very well be on the hook for 18 years of child support regardless if a subsequent DNA test reveals that they are the father or not.
So it's important that they read the document properly, talk to their lawyers, and take advantage of the procedural rules to confirm that the child is theirs, to begin with.
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