More than 20 states have similar systems to ''formalize paternity,'' Bush said. If elected, he promised to help expand the concept to all 50 states, promoting parental responsibility and making adoptions easier. In Texas, registration forms are made available to fathers in hospitals, child-placement agencies, jails and government offices. Signing the registry guarantees that the father will be notified of any action to terminate his parental rights. A father who fails to register within 30 days of a child's birth can have his parental rights terminated.
Every child deserves to grow up in a loving home with a father and a mother.
Bush said in material released by the campaign before his appearance at a child welfare agency here. ''We need to provided a vehicle for fathers to formalize paternity. Our child welfare system, working in partnership with states and citizens in communities throughout America, must do more to encourage fathers to care for their families or, failing that, to expedite adoption when that is the mother's wish or the mandate of the state,'' Bush said.