Legal Fatherhood

Legal Terms

Legal terms can be confusing. These definitions might help you better understand the paternity process.

Alleged father: The man named by the mother to be the child’s father OR a man who believes he is the father and who brings a paternity action. The local child support agency will help the mother and/or the man with the paternity action.

Biological father: The birth or natural father. The man who makes a woman pregnant.

Conceptive period: The period of time when a child was likely to have been conceived. For a normal pregnancy, it is a period of 60 days -- about 240 to 300 days before the birth.

Guardian: A person other than the parent who is legally responsible for a child. Most children do not have a legal guardian. This only happens when a court gives legal custody and placement to someone other than the parents.

Marital Presumption: When a mother is married at the time her baby is conceived or born, the law presumes her husband is the legal father. Only a court can decide otherwise.

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