Presumptions in the Rules on Paternity Establishment

Based on general theoretical knowledge about the role and place of presumptions in legal regulation and taking into account the peculiarities of their action in family legal regulations, the author refers to normative presumptions enshrined in the rules establishing the origin of a child. Methodologically, intermediate and final conclusions regarding the problem constituted a theoretical message, according to which the lawmaker does not use presumptions to establish maternity due to the objective nature of motherhood. As technical and legal tools built into the rules on establishing the origin of a child, presumptions are involved in establishing paternity, but not in all cases. This is evidenced by the dichotomy of rules indicating a voluntary and compulsory procedure for the paternity establishment. The instrumental role of presumptions has implications for the voluntary order of establishing paternal descent. This procedure is based on the marriage of the parents, and, if the marriage did not take place, on the joint statement of the mother and the illegitimate father. The compulsory (judicial) procedure for establishing paternity does not imply the use of presumptions, since it is based on the principles of competition. In the context of the emergence of reliable sources of evidence of paternity, the division into voluntary and compulsory order remains relevant. Therefore, the subject of author’s research is limited to a description of the voluntary procedure for establishing paternity, in which normative presumptions are involved. This order is not focused on a simple reflection of biological or genetic reality — its presence in this order is always assumed and does not provide for finding any evidence. This is how the cultural vision of the proper procedure for establishing voluntary paternity is expressed, reflecting the political and bioethical standards of human reproduction.

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