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Originally Posted by crick
I'm not sure of the legalities of it, but sounds like since this was not an adoption plan persay, and more of a "surprise", then I don't see why you'd need to pay for her expenses. She can be responsible for her own medical expenses or as you said, be on medicaid. The baby's expenses will be covered by you if you end up as the father. You are not married and right now she is the mother so I don't see why you need to be responsible for her care.
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Crick, this guy lives in the state of Georgia, which has a Putative Fathers Registry. Most states with putative registries require, in addition to signing the registry, that the biological father show evidence of having provided financial support of the mother throughout her pregnancy. Signing the registry and providing some support during her pregnancy will safeguard his own paternal rights. Yes, right now she's saying that she wants him and his wife to raise the child. But that could easily change down the road -- she could very well decide to place the child for adoption with someone else. If that was to happen, the whole Putative Fathers Registry thing comes into play if the OP wishes to keep his child.
As far as the whole Medicaid issue goes... Setting aside issues of personal accountability and paternal responsibility, it is against the law to make any false statements on any Medicaid and/or welfare application form. Every single page contains some pretty heavy warnings at the very bottom that pertain to perjury and fraud. If the expectant mother of this guy's baby is stating that she doesn't know who the father is on her Medicaid forms when she really does, she's commiting perjury and fraud. Some of the paperwork involved in Medicaid applications are actually legal affadavits. Many states are in desperate financial situations right now and are paying much closer attention to possible fraudulent Medicaid and financial-assistance applications.
It really doesn't matter what I think about whether this guy should be held financially responsible or not for prenatal care and childbirth. It's the law that matters -- and the laws in every state are pretty clear about paternal responsibility in this regard, especially if he wants to assert or maintain father's rights.
(For what it's worth, I do believe strongly that fathers should contribute at least half toward the prenatal/delivery costs of bringing their children into the world. I don't care one iota if they're married to the mother or not. If a man is financially able to pay for prenatal care and delivery (and prenatal care is just as much for the child's health as it is the mother's health), then he should do so. I don't think you should be able to father a child and then let the taxpayers pay for everything just because you don't want to pay, not unless there are some serious financial problems.)
Just my own two cents on the subject.