Establishing legal parentage/paternity is a critical step in your child’s life. All children deserve the benefits of knowing both parents and having a sense of family heritage, legal parentage/paternity makes that principle a reality.

This process allows fathers the opportunity to ensure they are a presence in their kids lives by establishing rights for custody and visitation so they can co-parent even if their relationship with the other parent does not last. If legal parentage/paternity is not determined, both lose out on many important life-long benefits such as;

• Parent – Child Relationship: The most important of all, both parents should have the opportunity to enjoy and grow in this relationship, this is also important for a child’s identity because it creates opportunities to learn about each parent’s culture.
• Relationship-Based Benefits: Legal parentage/paternity guarantees that a child has the right to many benefits like Social Security, inheritance rights, veterans, medical insurance, and others.
• Financial Support: If children are not supported by both parents, they often do not have enough resources to meet their needs.

Scroll below and click on your state to learn more about parentage where you live.