What rights does the father of my unborn child have?

When the child is born, the biological father has the right to be involved in the child's life. The extent of this right will be defined by a court order, with the "best interests of the child" always the bottom line. That's the basic answer. Other concerns involve the legal status of the biological father's parentage, also known as "paternity." Simply put, a biological (actual)) father is not automatically a legal father until certain things happen. Until parentage is legally established, the father's rights could be described as "natural" instead of "legal." In other words, until the father's paternity is legally established, the law will not formally recognize his rights. Once it is established, the law will establish specific rights involving access to the child, but only if a party files a case to bring the matter into court. There are a number of ways to establish paternity. The "easiest" is signing up on the birth certificate. Other ways include signing an acknowledgement, and in some instances simply completing a DNA test. This gives the threshold right to proceed to confirm parental rights to a child. With the right of access to the child comes the responsibility of supporting that child. This too will be addressed when the parties get to court. Also, a state IV-D "child support" agency may also establish a support order. Without a doubt, a parent of a newborn should consult a family law attorney about these issues as soon as possible.