Q: Six weeks pregnant and the father wants nothing to do with us.
Hello, the father of my unborn child (we are not married) has made it very clear, via texts and verbally that he doesn't want to be involved in his child's life and wants nothing to do with me. I also was waiting for my divorce to be finalized so now that is delayed since my husband is the assumed father by law, since we are still technically married.
If the biological father of my child doesn't sign the birth certificate (because clearly I am on my own through this entire thing, including paying all the associated medical expenses), would he still have rights? Could he come around, years from now, and disrupt my child's life because he decides he wants to be involved all of a sudden? If so, I really need help, but am also financially struggling a great deal, and would need to find someone on a pro bono basis. Please help. I'm alone and super worried. Thank you. My email is
A:
Yes, bio dad will have parental rights unless they're terminated. He'll also have a support obligation - if that's worth anything. Just like your divorce can't be finalized until after the child is born, bio dad's parental rights can't be terminated until then, either.
You're pretty early in a difficult situation - you might want to consider whether terminating the pregnancy is the right choice for you and the child.
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