SHOULD I PUT THE FATHER’S NAME ON THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE?

QUESTION: I am 19 and 23 weeks pregnant. I got pregnant after dating the father for four months, and we are not together now. The father is completely irresponsible and immature and nowhere near ready to take on the responsibilities of having a child. Ever since I found out I was pregnant I have documented every text him and I have exchanged [this is the most common way we communicate] to have as proof that he is unstable and not ready for the challenges to come. The father will not make any efforts to even get a job to support the child; he is more interested in partying. I have recently been considering not putting his name on the birth certificate because I feel that it is in the baby's best interest for the father to not have the same rights as if his name were on it. I understand that he can take it to court and get a paternity test and prove that he is the father in the future but due to his lack of motivation right now, I doubt that he will do that. I feel that by putting his name on the birth certificate I am giving him a free ticket to be the father and have all the rights of the father when he will not help out as a true father would. Also, I believe that if he really wanted to take on the challenges of parenthood then he will take his time to go through the paternity testing. Should I put the father's name on the birth certificate?

MY RESPONSE: It probably won't make much difference, but you are not required to put the father's name on the birth certificate if you choose not to.

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