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WANT TO BE A
TEENAGE DAD??
Father's Rights Association of New York State
"Working to keep Fathers and their Children Together"
1-888-991-8867
www.FATHERSRIGHTSNYS.com
Being a Teenage Dad is no Joke.
You and that girl did it. You laid up together and she got pregnant. Now what?
Well, let's talk about it. Did you ever think that you’d be a Dad so soon? Did you even WANT to be a Dad? What do you need to know? How much is this gonna cost?
First, you have to admit you are the Dad. You have to sign papers in the hospital saying you ARE the Dad. Once you sign those papers, you can’t go back and say that you’re not. You know that old saying:
MOMMY'S BABY IS DADDY'S MAYBE
By law, you have only 60 days after the birth of the child to contest Paternity. If you did not acknowledge the baby is yours, the mother can file a petition in court, and either declare you’re the father, or the Court may order you to take a Paternity Test. (You might also be ordered to pay for the test) After that, if for what ever reason you feel like you’re not the Father, like you broke up with the mother or she told you you're not the Dad, guess what……
YOU ARE STILL FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR BABY !!!
Child Support is more than "Pampers and Milk". It's providing for ALL your child's needs.
Here are the facts:
- According to the Welfare Reform Act of 1999, all Putative Fathers (that’s YOU) are
financially responsible for the care and support of your child, from the DAY OF CONCEPTION to the child’s Birth Day.
- That means that, if you don't have insurance (and what teenager has their own insurance)
YOU, the Putative Dad will have to pay for the pre-natal care (that’s all the doctor check-ups,
medications and all the tests before the baby is born) right up to the delivery, including all
doctor fees, delivery and newborn nursery and post-partum care.
- And here's the real kick: you will have to pay CHILD SUPPORT for this
child until they are age
CHILD SUPPORT IS NO JOKE !!!!!
You are responsible for making sure your child doesn't go on Welfare. That means YOU will provide for your child’s medical needs, including dental and eye care, and you will give to that child’s mother the money needed to:
SUPPORT THAT BABY !!!
And...Child Support is based on what YOU earn. According to the Child Support Standards Act, Child Support is based on your GROSS INCOME, minus F.I.C.A. and Medicare. And the percentage of your income can make you cry:
17% - one child; 25% - two children; 28% - three children…..all the way to 35% for five or more children.
Those of you who have more than one child with more than one Mother: each child gets their own equal share of the child support. You don’t get a break if you have more then one kid. Oh…the formula is based on your GROSS INCOME but taken from your NET INCOME. So that 17% can be as much as 55% of your take home pay !!!
DO YOU WANT TO BE A PART OF YOUR CHILD"S LIFE??
Did you think that, since you're the DAD you can see your child whenever you want? Did you think you had CUSTODY of your child? Here are some realities you didn’t know;
- Just because you’re the father doesn't mean you can "see" the child. You may have to go to
Court to get permission to see your child. Since you aren’t married to the Mother, SHE has the
RIGHT to decide who can see her child.
- After the Mother, the person most responsible for you not seeing your child is the child’s
GRANDMOTHER. She’s probably the one raising the child anyway.
And even if you have a Court Order saying you can see the baby, it still doesn't mean you will see your baby.
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A CHILD WHO GROWS UP WITHOUT A FATHER: Has an increased risk of contracting STD's, including AIDS More likely to drop out of school and never finish More likely to commit Suicide More likely to die from Violence More likely to have a child out of wedlock More likely to become pregnant while in their teens More likely to go to Jail |
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