Q: Can I vaccinate my child without the consent of the father? ( We are not married nor divorced.)
We are only dating but we are very much together and he is 100% involved. He will obviously be listed as the father on the birth certificate (I’m still pregnant) but I’m not sure what rights that gives him since we’re not married? If I choose to vaccinate our child against the wishes of my partner, does he have any legal ground to stand on? Or, is it all in my favor as the mother since I am technically “single” or unmarried? If we were to get married years after vaccinating our child without his knowledge, could he then pursue legal action against me?
I very much respect my partner, his opinions and feelings…but I’m more concerned about the safety of my child versus the wishes of my partner. I truly believe that he would try to pursue legal action against me if he were to find out I did this behind his back. (If I choose to go down that path.) So, I would just like to know what my options/rights are as a “single” mother when the time comes for me to make a decision.
A:
Legally, in the short term, it's in your favor until he goes to Court to establish his custodial rights. At that point, his rights are equal to yours.
Legally, in the long term, and practically speaking, these are decisions you need to make together. You're better off making these decisions with him from the start.
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