Scotland: Call for equal rights for unmarried fathers - if they are deemed "fit parents"

Article here. Excerpt:

'The petition calls for the Scottish government to review the laws that govern parental rights and child access, and their implementation, to ensure unmarried fathers have guaranteed rights to be a part of the lives of their children if they are deemed fit parents.

Margaret Park read out a statement on behalf of her son Ron Park, the petitioner, calling for every effort to be made to name both parents on a birth certificate to allow access to both parents.

Mr Park, who is trying to get access to his baby, wants family courts to enforce paternity testing "in extreme cases" and when in the interest of the child.

The statement said: "Unmarried fathers have no right or legal right until court awarded, as such the child cannot see them".

It went on to say "mothers and fathers have to be considered equal in terms of rights and accountability and responsibility, giving the precedence one over the other is an outdated notion, a child needs both and, if that is at all possible and that is in the child's best interests, this is what we should be striving for every single one".
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Mr Park's petition states: "As the law stands any unmarried man, regardless of whether he is deemed a fit parent by Social Work or courts, can be refused access to his children on a whim with no reason or explanation.

"Courts cannot force a DNA test to be carried out and as such there is no guarantee that a man can prove he is a child's father, which then means he cannot be awarded access to his children and/or PRRs.

"It's obvious the laws in place are to protect children, and this core value should not change, but an amendment should be added to ensure that men have a right to prove parentage of a child definitively so as they can then be involved in their child's life."'