Are there more reasons why an unmarried father might lose parental rights?
Yes. In addition to the reasons already given, an unmarried biological father has to take positive steps to establish his paternity or he may lose his parental rights. The father of a child, regardless of his age, who does not want to lose parental rights to his child must take actions to keep his right to the baby. He must acknowledge that the baby is his, he must maintain contact with the baby, and he must support the baby to the best of his ability, including paying a fair share of the expenses related to the mother’s pregnancy. If he receives a court notice about termination of parental rights or a plan to place the baby for adoption, he must respond to it or he may lose his rights as a parent. If the mother of a child is not married at the time of birth and identifies the father of her baby, then he may have an opportunity to sign an acknowledgment of paternity and have his name placed on the birth certificate. Otherwise, if he is or might be the father of a child and he wants to
