Guiding Teen Parents Through Legal Challenges Ahead
Babies making babies. Let’s talk about it. Hi, my name is Carl Birkhead. I’m a Tulsa family attorney with Wirth Law Office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I’ve been practicing family and criminal law for almost eight years now, and I want to help you make law easy by talking about what to do when your teenagers are unfortunately also becoming parents.
Challenges of Teen Pregnancy
If you’ve found yourself in this situation, you’re not alone—we’ve had multiple calls about it recently. The question at hand: A 17-year-old believes he’s the father of his girlfriend’s unborn child, but the mother and her family have completely cut him off. They’ve blocked all contact, and the baby is due in about six months. So what can he do?
Unfortunately, the first step is hiring an attorney. This applies not just to teenage parents but to anyone facing a custody or paternity dispute where communication has broken down. The challenge here is that the child hasn’t been born yet, which means legal action is limited until birth. However, preparation is key. The father should have an attorney lined up and all necessary paperwork ready to file as soon as the baby arrives.
Legal Steps for Acknowledging Paternity
One major reason for waiting is that court filings require the child’s legal name or initials, which won’t be available until the birth certificate is issued. Once the child is born, the next critical step—especially if the mother disputes paternity—is filing a motion for a DNA test. If the mother refuses to put the father’s name on the birth certificate or contests his involvement, a court-ordered test may be necessary to establish both legal and biological parenthood. The court needs to confirm paternity before granting any parental rights.
Timing is crucial in these cases, and the process can be complicated. If you’re facing this situation, I want to help. Having the right legal strategy in place now can make all the difference when the time comes to take action.
Ready for Personalized Legal Guidance?
If you have questions, absolutely give us a call. I’ll sit down, I’ll talk with you about it, and we’ll see where we can go from there. My name is Carl Birkhead. I’m a Tulsa paternity attorney with Wirth Law Office, and I want to help you make law easy. To schedule your low-cost initial strategy session, call us at 918-879-1681 today.
