When people talk about proving paternity, they usually reference genetic testing. saliva-based genetic tests have become the gold standard for establishing genetic parentage. They can validate the connections between two generations of a family with an astonishing degree of accuracy.

However, some people are averse to these tests despite how noninvasive they actually are. Perhaps you worry that the mother or the child might think that a test is a way of questioning the child’s parentage, or maybe you have reservations for religious reasons.

You may want to be an involved father but dislike the idea of undergoing a state-ordered test. Do you have to undergo a genetic test as an unmarried father who wants to establish paternity of his child?

Michigan allows you to establish parentage without a test

You do not need to undergo genetic testing to establish paternity or parentage in Michigan and all the rights that come with it. Instead, you simply need to cooperate with the mother of the child. The husbands of pregnant women are presumed to be the fathers of their children, but unmarried fathers how to fill out paperwork with the mother to include their name on the birth certificate.

After the birth of your child and any time until they reach adulthood, you and the mother of your child can execute an Affidavit of Parentage. This document will establish you as a father in the eyes of the state, with all the rights and responsibilities that come along with that position. Exploring the paternity process can help you be the father that your child needs.