Paternity is the legal term establishing that a man is a child’s father.

If parents are married at the time the child is born, the husband is considered to be the father of the child however, a child born out of wedlock have no legal father unless the parents establish paternity.

In the state of Missouri,  an unmarried father can establish his paternity by one of two ways:

1. by consent providing both the mother and father sign an Affidavit Acknowledging Paternity at the time of birth of the child
2. with a court order of paternity that will legally name the man as the father of the child

A man would want to establish paternity for a number of reasons with the first and foremost being that it is clearly in the best interests of the child.  The most important reason would be to give the child knowledge of who his or her father is which would help the child emotionally.  This gives the child a sense of belonging and an identity.  Knowing who the genetic father of a child would also establish the child’s genetic medical history to properly gauge the inherited conditions that may affect the child’s health.  Additionally, health problems could arise that may cause the child to need blood transfusions or transplants from a donor that would need to be compatible; having the identity of the father would be important to assist in finding potentially compatible relatives.  This would be especially valuable for children born with a rare blood and/or tissue types.

A Missouri paternity order will grant the father the right to make important decisions that would impact the child’s life such as custody, visitation, and support.  Upon establishing legal paternity, the child might be eligible for coverage under the father’s health insurance and receive the right to other benefits such as social security, veteran’s benefits, and inheritance.

Schedule a consultation with RS Law today to discuss establishing legal paternity.