The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-12-28
WHAT RIGHTS Do THE
LAWS GIVE TO THE
|LLEGT|MATE CH|LD2

Washington, Dec. 27.-What rights
do the laws Of this country give to the
child born out OF wedlock? What re.
sponsibility has the state toward him?
What method exists of placing a part
OF the burden Of his support and edu.
cation upon the father? Can the child
inherit property from either his father
or his mother? Has he a right TO his
fathers name? Does the subsequent
marriage Of his parents make him legi-
Innate in the eyes of the law?
These and many other questions
about the legal obligations Of parents
nnd of the state to children born out
ot wedlock are answered in a bulletin
entitled "Illegitimacy Laws in the
United states and Certain Foreign
Countries" issued by the children's
Bureau Of the P. S. Department OF La
hUr.
The English common law, in some
respects still unaltered in England and
in parts OF the United States, regards
the child born out of wedlock as the
"child of no one" He bears no legal
the subsequent marriage Of his parents
NIn IlOL ltGNIuldIt HILl.
Many of our states have altered the
common law by statutes more favorable
20 the child.
One of the most radical departures
is found in the North Dakota law Of
1917, which declares every child the
legitimate child Of his natural par
cnts, but which weakens this broad pro
vision by the failure to provide ade.
luate administrative machinery. Min
. nesota in 1917 passed a law which
aims to secure for children born out
Of wedlock "the nearest approximation
TO the care, support, and education
that they would be entitled 10 receive
If born Of lawful marriage" The state
board of control is made the child's
official guardian this board may bring
complaint in illegitimacy proceedings
and must see that the childs interests
are safeguarded.
Provisions were adopted in Virginia
as early as 1885, whereby the issue Of
certain annulled marriages could be
made legitimate, and whereby subse-
qucnt marriage could legitimate issue,
and the child could inherit from the
mother. These provisions are not even
yet universal in this country. Four
states have no provision for legitima-
ton by subsequent marriage, and
many limitations are placed upon the
right of children OF annulled or void
marriages to be considered legitimate.
Attention is called in this report
to the fact that our legal provisions
for the support Of the child born out
wedlock are inadequate-the payments
prescribed are often too low, and in
most of the states the period Of sup
port is too brief sometimes reaching
only to the child's 10th or 18th year.
In one state only u single payment OF
$50 is required; in another $50 distrib-
uted over three years is required. The
two most liberal states have allow
anccs that total, in one case, $2,7j0
for the first IS years Of the child's
life; and in the other. $l,750 for the
first eleven years of the childs life.
The report suggests that illegitimacy
legislation in the United States might
De improved by uniform provision for
the establishment Of legitimacy; the
lcgitimation Of children Of null or sub
sequent marriages.; possibility Of
adoption by the father; ana declaration
that the relation Of mother and child
is the same whether the child is legiti.
mate or not
In addition to a critical ANALYSIS of
LEGITIMACY legislation in this coun-
try, the report contains an analysis
Of certain phases of the various state
laws in tabular form, the complete
text of all the state laws, the ilegiti-
macy provisions of the codes of France
Germany and Switzerland, and a refer
cnce index to the L. $. illegitimacy
laws