How does it protect the vulnerable mother?
In the Acts explanatory note it is acknowledged that such a duty to provide information about the father violates the mothers rights under Article 8 European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR). However the government believes that by making joint birth registration mandatory it will improve the welfare of the child and promote a sense of responsibility within the father. And for this reason they argue that providing the fathers name is appropriately balanced against the childs Article 8 rights to know about his parentage and the fathers article 8 rights to respect for his family life. It has been considered that there are adequate safeguards for the mother already in place and the Welfare Reform Bill will not compel the vulnerable mother to name the father where it is thought she or the child may be at real risk or in danger .However there are concerns that simply just taking the womens word for it, is not sufficient. Some Womens Organizations believe giving both parents equal status wo
