Putative Fathers - What you need to know
A putative father is the unsubstantiated father of a child. If you are a
putative father, your child’s mother is the solitary guardian of that
child. She will be able to make any and all decisions about your child’s
future, including but not limited to putting your child up for adoption,
leaving the state/country.
Several states now have a “Putative Father Registry”. Exact rules and
timelines vary by state but the essential concept is the same. Every
time a man sleeps with a woman, he must register as the potential father
of the possible child. Failure to do so can result in the forfeiture of
the father’s legal rights to his child.
This typically becomes an issue in adoptions. If an unknown child’s
mother decides to keep the child and wants child support from the
father, most states will not only track the father down across state
lines but also charge him back-charges for the time they were looking
for him. If on the other hand, the father wants to have his child and
the mother absconds from the state to put the child up for adoption,
then the father’s only chance at his child is if he registered as a
Putative Father of said child, beforehand.
Below are links to the registries and information that we have found
most of which came from
Erik L. Smith's site. We
do not claim any of this to be complete or lawfully accurate. It is
provided on a best effort basis to give people somewhere to start. If
you find anything to be inaccurate or incomplete, please contact us with
the corrections and references so that we can update the information.
Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
Putative Father Registry Links
