Father's rights

A paternity case in the State of Texas is a lawsuit to determine the natural and legal father of a minor child and to confer the rights and duties of a parent. Once the father has been determined to be the biological father of the minor child, he obtains certain rights regarding the minor child.

Under most circumstances, once the father is declared the legal father of a minor child the name of the father will be entered on the child's birth certificate. This occurs even if the mother was married to another man at the time of conception or birth. In addition, the father's surname will be entered on the birth certificate as the child's surname.

An unmarried biological father has the right to obtain custody of the minor child and he has the same right as a married father, to have a hearing to determine his fitness as to the issue of custody.

Once the father is determined to be the biological father by a court of law he becomes a natural guardian of the minor child and under certain circumstances he may have the authority to take legal action on behalf of the minor child.

In the event that the father of the minor child does not wish to contest custody of the minor child, he still has other rights in regard to the minor child. The father has the right to have visitation with the minor child. The circumstances in your particular case will determine whether you will have full visitation rights or whether the visitation will be restricted by the Court. In some cases the father needs to develop a relationship with the minor child before he is able to have unsupervised visitation. Another concern is the age of the minor child and the father's experience in child rearing.

The father also has the right to have shared parental responsibility concerning the minor child. Shared parental responsibility is a term of law in the State of Texas which essentially means that you have a say in how the child will be raised. The mother of the child must consult and discuss with you the various issues concerning the minor child, such as religion, school, doctors, illnesses, vacations, and others. You have the right to be informed as to the activities of the minor child and you have the right to participate in those activities.

It may be helpful to discuss with an attorney the various issues in a paternity case including your questions concerning your rights as a father.

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