Suppose I am a rich man who wants a biological heir. I find a woman that agrees to bear me a child. Should I get married? In what jurisdiction is getting married a good legal move?
A book by Matt Ridley says that marriage laws are there to prevent paternity fraud.
If you are married and your wife has sex with another man, she is killed. Hence, she wouldn't do that. Hence, you can be sure that your wife's child is yours.
But now things are different.
If you are married, and your wife has sex with another man, you are still liable to pay child support for your wife's children.
If you are not married, then you are only liable if the child is really yours, say, via paternity tests.
So if a man wants to only support his biological children, do U.S. laws suggest that the only way to do this is to avoid marriage?
