[bombcar]

Some states go the other way - if you (as the father, maybe the mother but that's pretty easy to verify I hear) sign the birth certificate you are the father (Maury) for all legal purposes even if you're not - wether knowingly or not.

[giantg2]

Yes, most states see it that way. But you could still make them the legal father through adoption (like with step parents) without providing inaccurate information on the birth certificate.

[em-bee]

isn't that fraud?

[giantg2]

The state doesn't care about fraud when it benefits the state (a man paying support vs the state paying benefits).

[bombcar]

If it's fraud it's on the part of the mother (usually) - the state just wants a clean database to avoid complications; it doesn't actually care about truth.

It's similar to how the justice system doesn't really care about justice, it cares about detailed and systematic applications of the laws, which sometimes coincides.

[giantg2]

"the state just wants a clean database to avoid complications; it doesn't actually care about truth."

What it actually cares about is not having to pay CHIP, etc. Having a man who isn't the biological father paying for stuff means the state doesn't have to pay for services. They don't care at all beyond that.

[bombcar]

Most of these laws are ancient, from the era of inheritances and such - long before CHIP.

[giantg2]

That history doesn't explain their current motives.