CONDOM ANYONE II?
By: Michael H. Gora
Q I am the eighteen year old idiot who got his prom date pregnant. I’m supposed to go to Yale in the fall, but now I don’t know whether I can come up with the extra coin for child support. She told me that she had protection, and I didn’t have to worry about it. I never even owned a condom. It was the first time for both of us, well, I’m sure about me.
Two weeks after the prom she tells me about it, and a week later she asked me to marry her. A few weeks later we broke up. I made no grade other than an “A” since I started high school, aced the SAT’s and got early admission. How could I be so stupid?
I always thought I would make a good dad. My dad left when I was ten, and we didn’t have much to do with him after that. I promised myself that I would not be like him, and here I am.
I don’t even have a job, except for the summer. If I go to school how much child support can they make me pay? I plan not be my father and take care of things, see the baby regularly, and pay what I can.
The Ex will start at Palm Beach College in the fall. She wanted to go to G’ville, but couldn’t get in. Do I have to pay for her education? How about the kid’s health insurance?
She finally made up her mind to keep it, which screwed with my head more than a little when she kept changing her mind. On the one had no kid, everything’s OK financially, but I was always against abortion. I hope I can figure out a way to afford college. New Haven has the best pizza.
A Since you and your former girl friend were not married there is no basis for the judge to order you to pay anything but child support, and other child related costs.
With some help from a lawyer you’ll be able to get through the legal part or filing or receiving a paternity suit which will solidify your status as the child’s father. Some reasonable amount of child support can be agreed upon, perhaps based upon a nominal type of job for which you are qualified by experience or your high school education.
It would seem that the State would provide some minimum amount of health insurance due to the lack of income of you and the mom to be. Don’t forget how smart you are, and don’t believe that you are the only Ivy League freshman who was ever in your position.
You seem to want to do the right thing, and eventually, you will parlay that first class education that you will receive into an ability to support yourself and another. Oh, and one other thing, don’t forget how you got yourself where you are.
Michael H. Gora has been certified by the Board of Specialization of The Florida Bar as a specialist in family and matrimonial law, and is a partner with Shapiro Blasi Wasserman & Gora P.A. in Boca Raton. Mr. Gora may be reached by e-mail at mhgora@sbwlawfirm.com.
