Child Support for Unmarried Men Is New

Unmarried fathers in the U.S. are required to pay for the support of their children, but this legal obligation is relatively new in the history of the nation. Yale Law Professor, Douglas NeJaime explains how legal fatherhood and financial support requirements for unmarried fathers traces back to the late 20th century with significant legal changes happening as recently as the 1980's. Douglas NeJaime is a professor of law at Yale Law School and a national leader on parentage law and family law reform relating to assisted reproduction. ► For more legal explainers and interviews with the titans of law: http://www.talksonlaw.com ► For a longer interview with Prof. NeJaime on assisted reproduction and parental rights: https://www.talksonlaw.com/talks/assisted-reproduction-and-parental-rights ____________________ Outline 0:00 U.S. law historically treated unmarried parents differently 0:40 Support obligations from an unmarried father only began in the 1960s 1:20 Statute of limitations for support of an unmarried father 1:49 Congressional action in the 1980s to increase child support 2:38 Acknowledgement of paternity