Most adults can recall the sing-song rhyme our adolescent peers used to tease us with when we experienced our first crush: “First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Emily with the baby carriage.” The rhyme is completely outdated. A study by the Pew Research Center in 2011 found that about 40 percent of unmarried adults believe that marriage is obsolete (Decline of Marriage and Rise of New Families).
While the marriage rate is declining, unmarried cohabitation is on the rise, and almost half of cohabitating households include children. However, the child custody laws have not really caught up to this new trend. Most fathers focus on getting their name on the birth certificate as a means of establishing their parental rights. However, the required paperwork at the hospital (Affidavit of Parentage) to list the father’s name on the child’s birth certificate for a child born to unmarried parents has important legal consequences.
Here are a few things to keep in mind before you sign:
Parenting is a privilege, and privileges come with tremendous responsibilities and obligations. Make sure that you understand your legal rights and how to exercise them before the birth of your child. Just because the mother and father are not married does not mean one or both parents should be denied the privileges of parenthood.