Virginia has initiated a new law “Putative Father Registry” this month. It allows men that have had sexual relations with a woman other than his wife if married, to record the encounter in case a pregnancy happens. This allows him to block any adoptions in the future without his knowledge.

A man can go file a report about their relations with their girlfriend, mistress, their one night stand, etc. online with the state. There is no limit to how many times he reports encounters. If he was multiple encounters with a person or if he is involved with more than one person, then each encounter needs to be registered as a separate report.

Funny, this all sounds kind of strange and unbelievable. I never knew such a thing existed nor did my husband or other men I asked. Strange since 35 other states have similar laws. New York has had this law since 1977 so it is not a new trend.

I did realize that men could register when there was a pregnancy or a baby, but not each time they have encounters with women. It would be very interesting to know how many men registered their encounters in this new registry. Lordy be, this would be one site that you would not want someone to break into and retrieve personal information about people:)

A twist to the new Virginia law is that sex by unmarried people is a misdemeanor. So by using this new Putative Father Registry are the men admitting to a crime?

The father registries are supposed to be a way for the father to be contacted if a child is placed up for adoption. You can go to this website to find out your states laws. This eliminates people trying to track down a father and to make the adoption process smoother. I really wonder how many fathers know their rights and time frame to claim their child.

Are fathers made aware of their rights and the process? Could this new law be the answer to fathers losing their rights when they are unaware of a pregnancy or baby? How many men know about these laws? What happened do not kiss and tell?

More reading:

Involving the Father: A Benefit to All

What About Birth Dads?