Kentucky's Unmarried Fathers' Rights If a child is born to an unmarried couple, the father has no rights to custody or visitation until paternity is confirmed. Paternity can be proved by genetic testing or by signing a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity (VAP). The mother does not need to notify the father that she is pregnant; rather, the father will learn about the pregnancy through a court order requiring paternity testing. Once paternity has been established, the father will be given rights and responsibilities. For example, he will be allowed to participate in the adoption process, which includes meeting with the child before it is placed with an adoptive family. He also will be able to object to his child being placed for adoption. In addition to these rights, an unmarried father can give birth while still married. In this case, the father's wife would be considered the child's mother for legal purposes. The father could not deny his wife access to the child and would be required to support him financially. However, if he wanted to avoid financial responsibility, he could sign a voluntary acknowledgment of paternity prior to his wife's giving birth. After giving birth, his wife would lose her right to keep the child and would need to place the infant for adoption if she did not want to raise him or her herself.