A father's rights as a teen mirror a father's rights as an adult. If the teen father is denied rights to his child, the father may need to get an attorney and go to court to enforce his rights, which can include custody and visitation rights. The rights must not be abused by the child's mother or legal custodian.
Establish Paternity
It is important for the father to first establish paternity before he can be entitled to any other parental rights. This can be done by signing the birth certificate in the hospital after the birth of the child. If it is not done at that time, there are other ways to establish paternity. The father and mother can sign an Affidavit of Paternity provided by the state. This acknowledges the father as the biological father. A final way to establish paternity is to have a mandatory DNA test done, these results are then reported to the state which would allow the father's name to be placed on the birth certificate as the biological father.
Visitation
After the teen father has been listed as the biological father, he is entitled to visitation rights. If the mother is willing to work with the father, then no court order is needed for visitation. If the mother refuses visitation to the father, then the father may need a lawyer or have to take the issue up with family court. It may be necessary to get court-enforced visitation rights, so if the mother refuses, she will be held in contempt of court.
Custody
At times the father may want to gain custody of the child. This may be granted by a court if the mother is not the best person to care for the child. Custody proceedings will be decided in family court and will always look at the best interest of the child.
