[fatbob]

Hello,
I have a pregnant, unmarried 19 year old in Maryland. The father has basically been absent during the pregnancy. She wants him to have as little as possible to do with this child as he is a very vindictive person. She is afraid he will try to take the baby from her. Should she file for sole legal & physical custody as soon as the baby is born? Should she leave his name off the birth certificate? What will give him the least rights?

Thanks

[stevetcg]

Nothing will give him less rights if he wants them.

Yes, she should file for sole custody at birth, but that does not give him any less rights if he wants to pursue them.

[ScottGem]

Yes she should file immediately. However, if she falsifies the because that could be a problem.

As for what rights he has, that depends on what rights he wants. Leaving him off the because doesn't change his rights, just makes it harder to exercise them.

If she will need to go on public assistance they will require that she goes after him for child support.

[Fr_Chuck]

He will have the same rights on or off the birth certificate, she is not required to put him on it, in most states.

But what she needs to do so file for full legal and physcial custody and to get the proper amount of child support set.

I will be a little mean and blunt, the time to figure you don't want someone to be part of their child's life is before you have a baby with them. After the baby is born, the father will have rights to visits unless you can prove he is a threat to the child.

[fatbob]

Thank you all for your responses.