Custody Rights & Support for Nonmarried Parents in Bloomington, IL

Paternity matters can be complicated and emotionally charged. However, the Illinois Parentage Act is clear regarding the rights and obligations of unmarried parents:

• The father is responsible for medical expenses related to prenatal care and childbirth.
• The father is obligated to pay child support (retroactive to the date of birth).
• The father must share medical, dental, and optical expenses with the other parent and must share in college expenses for the child.
• The father has a right to visitation with the child. The mother cannot withhold access without a valid reason or for failure to pay child support.
• An unmarried parent needs the approval of the court to move the child out of state, even if there is no parentage order or custody order in place.
  

Signing a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity allows an unmarried father to establish parentage without a court order. The father has 60 days to rescind if he learns otherwise.

If either the putative father or the mother denies that the child is his, the court can require a paternity test. Genetic testing (DNA test) is considered definitive legal proof one way or the other.

Any man who believes he may be the biological father of a child should register with the Putative Father Registry to preserve his custody rights. Many dads learn too late that they have a son or daughter. There is no recourse or legal standing once the child is adopted by another family or by a stepparent if the biological father failed to register with the Putative Father Registry or initiate a prompt paternity action to establish his parental rights.

Presumed paternity can be challenged, but only within a specific time frame. If you now suspect you are not the father of a child (in or out of wedlock), you should seek legal counsel immediately.