Okay guys, I live in Florida. I'm due to have a baby in Nov, but I'm not married to the daddy. I've been hearing rumors that if I put his last name on the certificate and if we split he'll have legal rights and I won't have any. Does anyone know anything about this?:confused:

Yes he will have legal rights, but so will you. Even if you don't put his name on the because he can go to court to have his name placed on there and establish himself as the legal father. Generally the mother will have primary custody unless proven unfit.

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Originally Posted by ScottGem

Yes he will have legal rights, but so will you. Even if you don't put his name on the b/c he can go to court to have his name placed on there and establish himself as the legal father. Generally the mother will have primary custody unless proven unfit.

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But will I still have legal rights if the baby has his last name and not mine?

That's what I said. A birth certificate can list BOTH the mother and father. It has to list the mother, though may not list the father. If both parents are listed then both parents have joint custody. If they split, the mother generally get physical custody subject to a court decision otherwise. Whoever told you that the father would automatically gain ALL legal rights doesn't know what they are talking about.