"Voluntary" proof of paternity form?

My latest child was born on the 18th, and came home with us almost one
week ago after his stint in the NICU. We do not yet have a birth
certificate though, partly because of some hoo-hah with the State of
Rhode Island.

Since my partner and I are not married, we were told that we needed to
sign a "voluntary affidavit of paternity" in order to have my name put
on the birth certificate. Which sounded OK at first, until we actually
read the document.

One part of the affidavit spells out that I, as the father, agree to
"assume the financial responsibility of the child". There is nothing on
the form that mentions the mother's financial responsibilities.

Both myself and my partner disagreed with this and were not comfortable
signing the document. We told the clerk at the hospital that we would
sign the document if the section about the father assuming financial
responsibility were either removed or altered to include the mother's
equal assumption of financial responsibility. We were told that this
was impossible.

Finally, I took a black pen and thoroughly scribbled out the offensive
section. Both my partner and myself signed the scribble mark, then the
document, and gave it to the clerk, who told us she "couldn't guarantee"
what the state offices would do with the document.

Wondering if they might pull some shenanigan to re-edit the document to
its original form with our signatures on it, we asked for a photocopy
then and there so we could have it for our private files. The clerk
told us that this was impossible. When asked why, she said that it was
because it was "a legal document".

This made no sense to us, so during the conversation I picked the
document up and walked away with it, thinking that if she refused to
photocopy it we could just photocopy it ourselves and then return with
it. Security was called and within moments two officers came running
up, looking ready to deal with a homocidal speed freak. I returned the
document, but we instructed the clerk to hold the paperwork because we
were not comfortable with it being sent along downtown in light of what
she had told us.

I made some calls today, spoke to the clerk's boss, spoke to her boss,
spoke to HER boss, and was finally directed to -- guess who? The Rhode
Island Department of Child Support Enforcement. Turns out these are the
folks who wrote up the document in the first place. HMM!

We are currently waiting for a response from an administrator of the
RIDCSE, so that we can explain our situation. What I have been told is
that it is impossible for a man to get his name on his child's birth
certificate without signing this "voluntary" affidavit, unless he is
ordered to appear in Family Court for purposes of Child Support.

It is a small thing, I know -- but both my partner and I are irked at
the language of the document, which appears to state that only fathers
are financially responsible for their children. We are also more than a
little upset about my basic rights of legal recognition as father of my
own child being withheld unless and until I sign a document that is
officially labelled "voluntary".

Any experience, comments, anything?

- Ron ^*^