[krisnrand]

My ex-girlfriend is pregnant and currently being held in the county jail on a class x felony for manufacturing meth, her trial is in a month. She will more than likely receiving a prison sentence. Do I have any rights to my unborn child and how do I go about starting the process? The baby is due in October, and I would like to get things started no rather than the last minute, does anyone have any ideas or thoughts that would be helpful?

[amanda7890]

Well I am pretty sure you have rights as long as u are the father u always have rights. You need to go to your court house and talk to someone in family court they should be able to tell u what u can do

[Synnen]

1. Get a lawyer.
2. Check to see if your state has a putative father registry. If it DOES, then get on that registry.
3. You really can't do much until the child is born, but you CAN file for custody once the child is born. You will need to take a DNA test through the court once the child is born to establish paternity.

You really do need a lawyer here. Without a lawyer, CPS is likely to step in and take custody of the child, and then you would have to fight them to get the child from foster care.

[JudyKayTee]

well i am pretty sure you have rights as long as u are the father u always have rights. you need to go to your court house and talk to someone in family court they should be able to tell u what u can do

We take pride in our answers on the legal threads - if you don't know what the answer is, please don't attempt to answer. As it happens, "I am pretty sure" is NOT a definitive answer.

Also - please, no text speak. If you do use text speak your posts can and probably will be removed.

[ScottGem]

Some states will allow you to file for custody before the child is born with hearing scheduled for after the child is born. A local attorney can advise you whether this can be done.