• A man is the legal father of a child if he was married to the child’s natural mother when the child was born, if he has recognized or acknowledged the child, or if he has been declared the child’s natural father in a paternity action. If a man consents to the artificial insemination of his wife, he is the legal father of the child that is born as a result of the artificial insemination even though he may not be the genetic father of the child. [Cases: Children Out-of-Wedlock 12, 68; Parent and Child 1. C.J.S. Children Out-of-Wedlock §§ 25–26, 126–127; Parent and Child §§ 1–12, 201.]
legal father
The man recognized by law as the male parent of a child.