You absolutely have options if this is you, and you’re not alone, many mothers face this situation. If you know who the father is but he refuses to take responsibility without a paternity test, here’s what you can do to move forward legally, safely, and with clarity:
Get a Legal DNA Paternity Test!
To establish his legal obligation (for child support, custody, etc.), a court-admissible DNA test is usually required. You have two main paths:
Ask Him to Voluntarily Take a Test
If he agrees, you can:
Schedule a legal paternity test through a certified lab (not a home kit).
Make sure it’s chain-of-custody compliant so the results hold up in court.
Many labs, like DNA Paternity Testing, offer easy and affordable appointments nationwide.
File a Paternity Petition in Family Court
If he refuses to cooperate:
You can go to family or child support court and file a petition to establish paternity.
The court can then order a paternity test, and he’ll be legally required to comply.
What Happens After Paternity Is Proven?
Once paternity is legally established, the father may be ordered to pay child support. He will also be eligible for visitation or custody, depending on what’s best for the child. Finally, the father will be included in medical and legal decisions about the child. Even if he didn’t want to be involved initially, once legal fatherhood is confirmed, the law requires both parents to contribute to the child’s care.
What If He Still Refuses to Be Involved?
You cannot force a relationship, but you can enforce legal responsibility (support, benefits, etc.). If he doesn’t want visitation or custody, he can waive those rights—but he’s still obligated to help financially.
Other Support Options for You
If you’re raising your child without his help right now, look into:
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests
10 minutes
__utmb
Used to distinguish new sessions and visits. This cookie is set when the GA.js javascript library is loaded and there is no existing __utmb cookie. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
30 minutes after last activity
__utmc
Used only with old Urchin versions of Google Analytics and not with GA.js. Was used to distinguish between new sessions and visits at the end of a session.
End of session (browser)
__utmz
Contains information about the traffic source or campaign that directed user to the website. The cookie is set when the GA.js javascript is loaded and updated when data is sent to the Google Anaytics server
6 months after last activity
__utmv
Contains custom information set by the web developer via the _setCustomVar method in Google Analytics. This cookie is updated every time new data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
2 years after last activity
__utmx
Used to determine whether a user is included in an A / B or Multivariate test.
18 months
_ga
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gali
Used by Google Analytics to determine which links on a page are being clicked
30 seconds
_ga_
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gid
ID used to identify users for 24 hours after last activity
24 hours
_gat
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests when using Google Tag Manager
1 minute
_gac_
Contains information related to marketing campaigns of the user. These are shared with Google AdWords / Google Ads when the Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts are linked together.
90 days
__utma
ID used to identify users and sessions
2 years after last activity
SourceBuster is used by WooCommerce for order attribution based on user source.
Name
Description
Duration
sbjs_udata
Information about the visitor’s user agent, such as IP, the browser, and the device type
session
sbjs_first
Traffic origin information for the visitor’s first visit to your store (only applicable if the visitor returns before the session expires)
session
sbjs_current
Traffic origin information for the visitor’s current visit to your store
session
sbjs_first_add
Timestamp, referring URL, and entry page for your visitor’s first visit to your store (only applicable if the visitor returns before the session expires)
session
sbjs_current_add
Timestamp, referring URL, and entry page for your visitor’s current visit to your store
session
sbjs_migrations
Technical data to help with migrations between different versions of the tracking feature
session
sbjs_session
The number of page views in this session and the current page path
30 minutes
You can find more information in our Cookie Policy and .
