09/08/2026
A 22-year-old man says he found out his girlfriend was pregnant after they had previously agreed they weren't ready for children.
He says he wanted her to have an abortion. She ultimately decided to continue the pregnancy.
They broke up. He says he told her he was not willing to be a father, and after talking to his parents and several lawyers, he made a drastic decision:
He left the country to avoid being pursued for child support.
According to his post, he moved somewhere he believed U.S. child-support orders could not be enforced.
He says he still sometimes wonders what it would have been like to raise the child but believes he was essentially forced into fatherhood because he didn't get a say in the pregnancy.
Now, here's my take as a Florida family law attorney:
If this man walked into my office, the first thing I'd tell him is this:
You don't get to control the pregnancy but once a child is born, the legal analysis changes.
In Florida, if paternity is established, a parent can have a legal duty to support the child. Child support is determined under Florida's statutory guidelines and is based on factors including the parents' financial circumstances and the child's needs.
So telling me, “I never wanted the baby,” or “I didn't agree to become a father,” would be important to understand emotionally but it does not, by itself, eliminate a child's right to financial support.
And leaving the country isn't something I would tell a client to do to try to escape a legal obligation.
My job would be to look at the actual facts, establish what legal rights and obligations exist, and help my client make decisions based on Florida law.
Because family law gets complicated very quickly when emotions, children, money, and international issues collide.
If you're dealing with a child support, paternity, custody, or family law issue, don't try to navigate it based on what worked or didn't work for someone on Reddit. Talk to a Florida family law attorney about your situation.
📞 Call us at (813) 447-3001
🌐 Visit our website: www.lmknoxlaw.com
📅 Schedule a consultation: bit.ly/4gjayWb
Disclaimer: This post is based on a Reddit story shared publicly online and is presented for commentary and educational purposes. The facts described have not been independently verified, and this post is not intended to identify, accuse, or harm anyone involved. This is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship.
