Editing Legitimation (section)

==Family law==
{{main|Legitimacy (family law)}}
''Legitimation'' can also be used as a legal term where a father of a [[illegitimate child|child born out of wedlock]] becomes the child's legal father.  Prior to legitimation, the child is said to be illegitimate.  Once a child has been legitimated, he or she is entitled to such benefits as ordained by law as he or she would if that man had been married to the child's mother at the time of the child's birth. (Some benefits are still withheld under various systems, such as the [[British peerage]].) The father is responsible for providing support to the child and the child is entitled to inherit from the father.

While legitimation can be as simple as a statement by the father, in some jurisdictions the father must officially [[Recognition (family law)|recognise]] the child. This option is typically also available to non-biological fathers ("social fathers").