Unmarried mothers do not have to identify father
Filed under: Babies and the law — Alan @ 7:51 am
Ministers have abandoned a plan that would require unmarried mothers to name the identity of the father of their baby.
The new rules leave loopholes that allow months to refuse identifying the father, which frees the father from being forced to pay child maintenance.
The Government has decided to abandon a proposal that would force men to take a paternity test if there is any dispute about who the father of a child may be. Instead, such tests will only be allowed if both parties agree that a paternity test is needed.
The announcement comes five months after Labour stated that all mothers would have to name fathers on baby’s birth certificates.
Children’s minister Dawn Primarolo stated that the Government hopes to promote responsibility by forcing both parents to register their names on birth certificates, but noted that such exemptions may make it possible for a mother to deny naming a father on a birth certificate.
One reason for a possible exemption may be the fear of violence if a man is named on a birth certificate. Mothers will also be able to state that they are not sure of who the father is or where he may be.
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