Who Gets Custody When the Father is Not on the Birth Certificate?

Question: Who Gets Custody When the Father is Not on the Birth Certificate?

I have a question about unwed mothers and rights to child custody. My baby is now two years old, and the name of her father is not on the birth certificate. We never married, and he wasn't around at the time of the birth. Does this mean that I have sole custody, or do I actually need to file for custody even though my daughter lives with me?

Answer:

It depends on where you live. In some states, like Oklahoma, it is presumed that the mother has sole custody in cases where the parents were unmarried at the time of the child's birth and no father is on the birth certificate.

Read more at: http://singleparents.about.com/od/legalissues/f/unwed_mothers.htm