Focusing On Family Law – And You
Paternity is important to establish for a number of different reasons. Because of the significant emotional and financial impacts it can have on parents, children and families, parents seeking to establish paternity should know why it is so important and what the implications of establishing paternity are.
The impact of establishing paternity
Establishing parentage for a child is important for several reasons. There are both emotional and financial benefits to establishing paternity. Some benefits of establishing paternity can include:
- Financial support from both parents;
- Legal documentation that identifies both parents;
- Having the names of both parents included on the child’s birth certificate;
- Access to family medical records and history;
- Health and life insurance coverage from either parent;
- The right to inherit from either parent; and
- The right to receive social security and veteran’s benefits, if applicable.
Once paternity has been established, the child will have the legal rights and privileges of a child whose parents are married. Also once parentage has been established, the family law court can order child support, child custody, visitation, health insurance and address some other considerations as well.
Along with parentage, the child has a right to financial support from both parents and the parents have the right to child custody and visitation. Parents, once established, have the rights and responsibilities that go along with being a parent. There are many different benefits to establishing paternity including financial and emotional benefits for the child which is why parents should be familiar with the importance of establishing paternity.
