Quote: (07-05-2016 02:59 AM)LeightonBlackstock Wrote:
Going off topic a bit....
But I keep reading in this thread that in America they can make you pay for a child that's not biologically your own?! Did I read that right?
How does that work? And why?
There are a few mechanisms.
- Our national Department of Health and Human Services pays hospitals to pressure men into signing affirmation of paternity statements at the child's birth. These can only be undone with immediate action from an attorney. If a man can't afford representation then or later learns they are not the father, they are legally bound for 18 years. Hundreds of thousands of these statements are signed per year.
- If you act as the father for a period of time, that can be the basis for a civil suit to obtain child support, even if DNA evidence proves otherwise.
- If a claim of paternity is made, and you are unaware of it, child support can still be assessed against you. In many jurisdictions you must satisfy all outstanding child support due before making a legal challenge. This can be impossible.
The US federal government pays matching funds to every state for every dollar of child support collected. It is actually in each state's interest to assess as much child support as possible. A book called Taken Into Custody covers the subject in detail. I consider it required reading for any young man in America.