Greetings all, New Hampshire State Representative Robert Fisher here, and I'm looking for some input regarding cutting down on Paternity fraud.

Now I've spent some time talking to some of my constituents who have run into problems in New Hampshire's family courts (a lot of problems), and I've seen a glaring legal loophole related to paternity, fathers' rights, and fathers' responsibilities.

In New Hampshire, a father must testify to be the father of a child in order to sign the birth certificate. My understanding is that his parental rights hinge on being on record as the father, so he has an incentive to sign the birth certificate, despite being the least qualified person to know if he truly is the father (without a paternity test).

Now, some of my details may not be entirely accurate - I am not a family law expert by any stretch of the imagination, so I'm meeting with our house researchers and legal counsel in the next few weeks for specific details. But in the mean time I'd like to get some input as to the best way to approach the issue of paternity fraud, which seems like something Men's Rights is very interested in.

The simplest solution is one that simply will not gain traction in our state. Mandatory paternity testing would be an undue burden on new parents or the state, and would fail out of the gate on this reason alone. However, one idea that had been suggested was having the mother testify to paternity and not the father. This would push the burden onto her, and disincentivize her from doing so fraudulently.

As it stands now, I am under the impression that baring a family court ruling (they have a wide margin of discretion in NH), the named father would be responsible for child support, and would be responsible for the child even if he is found at a later date not to be biologically related. Further, in New Hampshire I am under the impression that a child born within wedlock is assumed to be the husband's child, which could also be another avenue for paternity fraud.

I would greatly appreciate any input, ideas, or suggestions that might lead us to workable legislation that would improve the rights of fathers in New Hampshire, possibly setting an example for other states to do the same.

Any input or ideas are much appreciated! Thank you!