The Men’s Rights series of articles focusing on state laws that are particularly harsh on men and fathers brings us to Illinois. The paternity laws in Illinois are definitely skewed in favor of the mother. Even if a father signs a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity, which is an acknowledgement that he is the legal father of the child, the acknowledgement form specifically states that it...
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As a reader of the Men’s Rights website, you are well aware that states have laws that are particularly unfair toward men and fathers with most dealing with paternity. In a series of articles, Men’s Rights features several states whose laws are particularly harsh on men. In Texas, one particular law that puts fathers at a disadvantage comes from the Texas Family Code’s section on...
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Over the last 50 years the number of children born to unmarried parents has increased from 5% to 41%, according to a Pew Research Center study on the rise of new family types. Thus, far more children now live with an unmarried parent. This change from the typical family unit has caused an increase in conflicts between the unwed parents when issues regarding child support...
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The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments about gender discrimination and citizenship that father’s and men’s rights groups are calling an unconstitutional double standard. Currently, children born overseas who have one U.S.-citizen parent can obtain U.S. citizenship if the citizen parent had been physically present in the U.S. for a certain period of time before the child’s birth, according to the Supreme Court’s blog. If the...
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When a child is involved in an international parental kidnapping dispute, the non-offending parent should look to the Hague Convention for guidance. The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction is a treaty between countries that agree to cooperate and abide one set of laws, the Hague Convention, for the return of children removed from their home country for custody disputes.
International child abduction is a crime in every U.S. state and in some cases the abducting parent can be charged with a federal crime under the International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act. Nevertheless, international parental kidnapping continues to happen. The Office of Children’s Issues at the State Department lists on its website measures to help prevent this horrible situation from occurring.
As a member of the board of directors of the national organization Fathers & Families, Robert Franklin is an active father’s rights advocate. Franklin is pushing for mandatory DNA testing at all births to help combat paternity fraud. Using data from the Bureau of Vital Statistics and some assumptions, he estimates in the United States alone between 280,000 to 410,000 children are born to men...
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Have doubts that you are the father of your pregnant partner’s child? The most important action you can take to prevent paternity fraud is to request a DNA test at the hospital to confirm that you are the father BEFORE you sign the Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity form. In most jurisdictions, genetic testing is not required to establish paternity; all that is required is a...
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Hearing the words “I am pregnant,” can ignite a wide variety of feelings in a man. He may be overjoyed, terrified, or a combination of the two. For the woman looking to commit paternity fraud, she is hoping that he is filled with the overwhelming sense of responsibility to do the right thing. Paternity fraud occurs when a woman intentionally names a man to be...
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After 11 years of paying support to a child that wasn’t his, Carnell Smith organized an advocacy organization to fight paternity fraud. The U.S. Citizens Against Paternity Fraud has successfully set up legislation in several states that allows men to use DNA tests to disprove paternity. “We showed the legislature in Georgia, for example, that it was an absolute hypocrisy to require men to pay...
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