Should “Putative Father” registries be abolished?
Why should a man have to register that he slept with a woman in order to claim paternity of any children she may bear when he actually WANTS to parent? DNA can prove it just fine if there’s any doubt. When it comes to determining paternity for child support, a DNA test is considered adequate. Putative Father registries are part of the misandrist laws designed to get those pesky fathers out of the way — unless, of course, they’re needed for child support purposes. These registries allow men who haven’t signed them to be viewed as uncaring, uninvolved and unfit, even if this isn’t the case. Just as with mothers, fathers should be required to sign relinquishment documents in order to have their parental rights terminated, unless there is founded abuse leading to a court severing his parental rights involuntarily.
