Imagine a law that takes away your right to raise your child before you ever get a chance to hold him. That’s what this man is dealing with in Florida. The biological father of a child in Florida has reached out to the news after he claims that Florida laws are stripping him of his paternal rights. He lives only a few streets away from his son, but he claims he has no idea what he looks like.
According to his story, his ex-girlfriend got pregnant. He hurried to put together a nursery for his son, thinking he’d be part of his son’s life. Unfortunately, it has not worked out that way. His ex-girlfriend lived with him for several months while she was separated from her spouse, but once she was pregnant, she went back to her husband and began to live with him again. She has blocked the man’s number and cut all contact with him.
The struggle in this case is that a law from the 90s prevents him from seeking parental rights. The law states that a child born into a marriage takes results in the married couple having custody over the biological DNA tests. Basically, the man she’s married to, and not the biological father, has all the parental rights. After begging her for months, he was able to see his child shortly one afternoon. Since then, he’s never seen his son again.
This is a case to follow; it is currently headed to an appeals court and will head to the Florida Supreme Court if the judge does not feel confident in ruling on the case. If you are facing a similar dilemma, your attorney can discuss how the future of this case may affect yours.
Source: WPTV, “Biological father challenges Florida law stripping him of parental rights,” Michelle Quasada, Jan. 11, 2017