Should I put the father on the birth certificate?

Question

I have a PFA (AKA restraining order) against the father of our unborn child. Due date is March 13th and I was not planning on putting him on the birth certificate but now am having second thoughts. When my daughter finds out that the father is blank on her birth certificate how would that feel at 8th or 9th grade whenever she would know and discover this? Also if I put him on the paper does that give him any rights could he just come to my house and take the baby or would he still ahve to take me to court to get any granted custody or visitation? Thank you

I live in PA? Does anyone know how the birth certificate process works here? Also I got the PFA because he threw me against the wall when i was pregnant and I didn't want it ever happening again but he was drunk and stole over 600 bucks from me.

Answer 1

If you have a restraining order against the father I would wait to put his name on the birth certificate. For the safety of your baby and yourself call the court house in your district and speak with some one from family court, they would be the best to advise you on his rights, and what the first step would be to get sole custody of your baby right away. Also let the hospital know when you arrive to deliver the baby that the father is not allowed near your baby or you because of a restraining order you have on the father.

Answer 2

Don't matter why you and him don't like each other. But it's your baby right to have his name on that birth certificate. A name on a birth certificate don't give him the right to just come over your house in do what he wants. No dare it don't work like that. If you didn't put his name on it or you did it don't make a differences he could be granted visitation rights. That's his right as a father to your baby. Don't matter what you do or try to do. He has rights just like you do. Custody I don't think he will get. The courts are going to know he has a past and the reason why there was a restraining order on him. But more then likely he will get visitation rights and there's not much you can do about that. You do need to put him on the birth certificate it's not your birth certificate it's your baby's and her father's, they didn't have the fall out. You and him did.

Answer 3

I did not put the father of my child on the birth certificate. You can always get a birth certificate with his name on it later. I didn't want him to have any proof at the time that our son was his for reasons that he could get a copy and use for enrolling the child in different schools, and a host of other legal reasons. I have never given him his social security number either, because even though he wasn't raising him or supporting him, he would have claimed him on his taxes, and would have used it for other purposes where a social security number is needed. He can't get a birth certificate without the child's social security number either. If you feel you are not able to trust the father, it is better to be safe then sorry later. My son is older now, and he didn't think anything that his fathers name is not on his birth certificate. His father has never been a "father" throughout his life, so it didn't bother him at all he wasn't on it.

Answer 4

If you have a restraining order against the father of this child he cant come to your house!!
In Aust the fathers name doesnt have to be mentioned on the birth certificate. I suggest phoning where you have to register the birth to get confirmation re this as laws can vary between States.
You are not alone in this and many children would not have the name of the father on their birth cerftificates. Talk to your child before they start asking questions.
Does he know you are pregnant and when the baby is due?
You might have to be prepared to go a different hospital to have this child and to have the child listed under an assumed name whilst in hospital, to avoid unneccesary disputes in a ward situation.
Good luck with it all.

Answer 5

depending on the state you live in, you may not be able to put a mans name on the birth certificate unless you are legally married. In Ohio, if the parents are unmarried, the woman cannot put a mans name on the application for a birth certificate unless the man signs the application too.

Anyway, since you are already working through the courts, you can petition the court to have paternity testing done so that you can get child support from the father.

Answer 6

Listen, when I had my daughter (we lived in New York but I had her in a Vermont hospital), I COULD NOT enter his name on the birth certificate...HE HAS TO. Otherwise, you may as well put Mr. Rogers name on it. Mine is blank, he would not sign it, but he's a loser so who cares? She has 2 great uncles. And if he DID sign it, he can just come to your house and take the baby to his... unless you go to court and get FULL physical and legal custody. DO this RIGHT AWAY after the baby is born.

Make sure he isnt aware where you are having the baby or when. Did you try calling legal aid in your state? Try the phone book, they are a cheap way of gettig lawyer's advice.

Good luck!

Answer 7

You dont have to put him on the birth certificate, and if you dont that don't mean that your daughter don't have to now who he is, you can tell her who her father is and I'm pretty sure that she will be alright. I'm saying this because my step-dad has never meet his dad and his mom didn't put him on his birth certificate and he was up set and he's 33 years old now and about 5 years ago a man came up to him at a local mall and asked him who was his mother and he answerd and the man said that you look lust like you father and the man gave my step-dad his name and said that he just left the island. Today my step-dad hasn't tryed to contact him but he isn't mad at his mother any more because he know something about his dad. And he thinks that he was brouhgt up right. Just teach your child right and respect, he or she will love you for it.

Answer 8

if that baby is his he can take it anytime he wants, you have to get custody over your child, its in the best interest of the child to put the dads name on the certificate, whatever problems you and the father had thats between you two don't make the baby suffer and grow up without a father.

Answer 9

If you're going to put him on the birth certificate he has to sign. You can't just put someone on without them acknowledging paternity first. If he does end up being put on the birth certificate then he would have rights under the law. Check with an attorney in your area.

Answer 10

This sounds like a bad person to mess with. I would not put his name anywhere near your child. He can claim parental rights and make your life a living hell. I do think that later on you should tell your child of who the father is and why you did that, they should know. For me child support would not be as important as the safety issue.