What is the difference between a married and an unmarried fathers rights?
Once paternity is established, there is no difference between the two; they are exactly the same. The only difference is that a married man is presumed to be the father of children born to his wife while they are married. An unmarried man must first establish paternity, usually through a DNA exam, before he may exercise his rights and responsibilities. There are ways to establish parentage through legal means, without a DNA parentage test. For instance, if you are married to a woman at the time she bears a child, you are legally presumed to be the father, whether the child is biologically yours or not. In this scenario, you might need a DNA parentage test to disprove your parentage (to the extent this is allowed in the laws of your state). If you are not married to a woman at the time she bears a child, you are voluntarily waiving your rights to contest paternity when you sign the birth certificate. Please note that, signing the birth certificate does not establish your paternity concl
