For a father, being able to establish paternity is a good way to prove that you are the biological parent of a child. Beyond that, it gives you the rights and responsibilities of being a parent.
When you’re married, paternity is relatively straightforward, because it’s automatically assumed that the husband is the father of the child. However, if you are unmarried or there are questions about the biological father of the child, then you may want to seek out a paternity test.
What are the legal benefits of paternity testing?
The benefits of paternity testing are that you may obtain the rights of a biological parent or prove that you are not the parent. When the biological parent is determined, that person is then legally obligated to pay child support and to provide other support to their child. If you are married already, you may not need to pay support, but you will be able to prove your right to be a part of your child’s life and give them their inherited rights to health coverage or Social Security benefits.
DNA testing is a good way to resolve any confusion about who the biological father of a child is, so that the child may grow up knowing the truth about their parents. They obtain the right to be supported by two parents once paternity is proven.
If you want to seek custody as an unmarried parent, paternity testing can help
If you are not married to the mother of your child and want to guarantee your right to seek custody of your child, you need to have a paternity test to prove your connection to the child. Once you prove that you are the legal father of the child, you have a right to seek out custody, whether that’s to make sure you get visitation time or with the intention of getting primary custody in the future.
No matter how complex your case is, the first step is to prove that you are the biological parent of the child in question. Once you do that, you can go on to exercise your rights as a parent.
