What would happen if Child Support payments weren't mandatory?

Question

I'm curious to see what people think would happen if men who had children with women they weren't married to weren't forced by law to pay child support. Do you think women would choose more wisely about the men they have unprotected s*x with if there was no one to ensure they received payments?

I bring this up because of a situation i heard about in Las Vegas a few years back where some women went to the NBA All Star game with the intention of getting pregnant secretly and then taking the NBA player to court for support (which would be a large sum because of the players high salary). These ladies would intentionally puncture holes in condoms and lie about being on birth control i should add.

Answer 1

Hopefully there would be a lot less instances of that kind of manipulation. But it might have negative effects on women who didn't actively seek out child support, but ended up needing it for whatever reason.

Answer 2

Nothing would change. People would still sleep around with insufficient protection (or none at all), illegitimate children would still be born, and we the taxpayers would still have to pay for all of them.

Answer 3

Women would be forced to be more selective when choosing a mate. They would be forced to act responsible. They would not be able to come up with such a con to take a man's money.

Answer 4

The states would take a lot more of all our tax dollars to support the children via welfare, while the man who was perfectly happy to whip it out to produce the child could buy more video games and prolong his eternal childhood.

Answer 5

The flaw in the system is that child support is based on the man's earned income.

What we need is for child support to be enough money to cover the necessities of life, like food, clothing, and decent housing.  As long as it is based on baby daddy's income, there WILL be manipulators who try to milk the system.

Answer 6

If child support wasn't mandatory, it would be the mothers' fault????

Answer 7

Men would have no incentive to use contraception. A lot more girls would probably be coerced into having s*x without precautions.

The taxpayer would have to foot the bill.

The government isn't about to see more children starve or start carrying out forced abortions on women that can't afford to support their child.

Answer 8

Black men would have alot more money.

Answer 9

Well you make a valid point about the responsibility lies with the person most affected!

Wish everyone else sees it that way.  

It is so irritating to hear well he should have worn a condom if he didn't want a kid.  Does that mean the girl was purposfully out to get him for a kid and money cause she was not using birthcontrol?????

But I don't think that child support would be paid IF the father does not care about the kid.  I think even if the kid was a mistake and the man does truly care they would take care of it.

And yes I think women would think alittle bit harder who they lift there dress up for if they weren't being served with a fat check cause they got pregnant.

Answer 10

Hey I am paying mandatory child support and I am far from being a male NBA player. I work and am a good mother.......I know men that make women pay women child support and they make more $$ than the woman. Plus they don't let the woman see their children even when the women want to see them. They are good mothers the fathers were just mad because the women left them for treating them bad. So it can go both ways as far as punishment goes.

Answer 11

The situation you are describing is a highly atypical one.  I believe that more women need to fear being left and then living in poverty than a wealthy man fearing being taken advantage of by a calculating woman.

Answer 12

Well, there was a time in history where child support payments where not mandatory. And many men did back then what a lot of them do today, they bailed and didn't pay anything. I knew some men in my old neighborhood who would intentionally quit their jobs so that they didn't have to pay child support. They would take a small time gig on the side (getting paid under the table) just enough to pay bills, and not let anyone know they had taxable income. There were even some dudes who would purposely go to jail to keep from paying child support for the period of time that they’re locked up.  And some men just ‘bounce’, never to be seen or heard from again. And if they do show up in the child’s life it’s after he/she is 18 years of age or older, so this way they’re not legally responsible for financial support.  This method of leaving assure that they’re not traceable, they have no current home of record, or no mail coming to a personal address.

Now, I understand where you're coming from when you speak on women who go after superstars for children. We all know this happens. But the thing that get's me is, everyone places all the blame on those women (whom of which we know have no morals or respect for herself) But pass this double-standard on the men who're married and sleep with these women (unprotected) and create life. Or the superstars' who're stupid enough to lay with these women knowing what their motives are! If this woman is throwing herself at you, she has to be up to no good (especially if you have money). So, my question to you is, where does the blame lie with him?  Because the last time I checked, it's morally wrong to have s*x with someone other than your wife/husband. And it's just as much the superstar's responsibility to protect himself from an unplanned pregnancy is as it the woman’s.

And for your information, a lot of men do not pay child support, which is the reason why they go to jail now if they refuse to do so when ordered by the courts to pay up. My niece’s father lives two streets over from his daughter. He won’t take the time to come and see her, make sure she has what she needs; the girl thinks he’s her uncle because she doesn’t really know who he is. She thinks my father is her father because currently he’s the only father figure she has. Now don’t get me wrong, every time you see him he’s GQ material (fresh kicks or shoes, a new suit, nice car always pimpin) But his child can’t even get a d@m dime from him for school supplies and clothes. But he’s mad because another man has stepped in and has filled the shoes he should be filling. So because there’s another man in the house he takes that as his ticket to opt out of his responsibility.  He claim’s he’s unemployed, but my sister has to take him to court now to file for back child support (which is the reason why he doesn’t want to go back to work). Most ‘normal’ women don’t expect the father of their children to abandon them. We know it’s a possibility, but its something that we don’t want to think would happen to us when it comes to the man we love. I’ve seen the same story unravel all too often where the father decides he just doesn’t want to be a father any more so he leaves. And this I common in the African American and Hispanic communities. Many men doing what it takes to create a baby, but not taking care of them once they arrive. Realize that it’s his responsibility as well.

Answer 13

There might be some women who would choose their partners more wisely, taking care to select a man who they were confident would support any resulting children of his own volition.

But there would be many more men who would not pay any child support were it not mandatory to do so, and sometimes not even a court order does the trick.

Do you think men would choose more wisely about the women they have unprotected s*x with if there was ANYONE to ensure they made payments?

Answer 14

WOW what judgmental people. have you never ever made a mistake in your life? are you perfect? WOW

For the record I had s*x ONE time in my life and I got pregnant I did NOT set out to trap him it was a REAL mistake. have you ever been so weak after getting beat by your parents and feeling low and hurting and you do something so d**n STUPID ONE TIME. but you learn from it and never do it again. he wanted me to abort i say NO. I have the baby I TAKE CARE OF HER ALONE. NO support, NO hand outs, NO family support ALONE. at least I learned from my REAL mistake in life and NO tax payers which I am one of pays for her I DO. I work 3 jobs to pay for her. she is a 2 year old happy smart child she is my LIFE.

Now some women do set out to trap some men. and that makes it hard for real hard working single mothers. and if it was a mistake or they find out the lady set a trap for him then NO he should NOT have to pay support. and she should have her Baby taken away from her. that is wrong.

But lets NOT judge every single mother out there and think they set out to trap a man. some really do make mistakes. and I am the first to say IT WAS MY FAULT NOT HIS. so stop judging every single mother and stop acting like men are angels they are NOT. and women sometimes do stupid things like this lady here that you wrote about. were all human we are not all perfect,

Answer 15

I really, really doubt that kind of irresponsible behavior is behind MOST pregnancies in which the father leaves.

I think that if Child Support payments weren't mandatory, you'd have a lot more malnourished children and poverty-stricken families.

My sister's husband divorced her, leaving her to fend for three children while she struggled through college (she'd gone back to college after having dropped out for his sake). When the children had holes in their shoes, he refused to buy them new ones, despite the fact that she was barely making enough to get by.

Marriages go wrong, and sometimes men who seem nice are just manipulative. Child support payments are very important, even if a few take advantage of the system. People take advantage of EVERY system.

Answer 16

First answerer is right: every system gets taken advantage of. Thats why minimal government is ideal. To your next question....... good one. Actually, yes, do away with it.  Then girls wil be less stupid(hopefully) and more careful