Paternity means fatherhood.
When a married woman gives birth, her husband is presumed to be the father of the child. When a child is born outside of marriage, the father of the child does not automatically have the same rights and responsibilities as the father of a child born in marriage. The law allows the mother, child, father or State of Utah to prove that a man is the father of a child. When this occurs, the child's paternity has been established. Paternity establishment is important for many reasons.