A parent denies any obligation to financially support a child, claiming the other parent's choice absolves them
Premiumintermediate8 minutes
The Situation
What They Said
“I do not have to pay child support — she chose to have the child. That was her decision, not mine.”
This phrase is used by an absent or non-custodial parent to deny any financial obligation toward their child, claiming that because the other parent chose to continue with the pregnancy, responsibility lies entirely with them.
The Fallacy
Shifting Responsibility / False Causation
This argument misidentifies who bears responsibility for a child's existence and welfare. The false causation is the claim that one parent's choice to carry a pregnancy to term shifts the other parent's obligations onto them entirely. In general, both biological parents are responsible for the child they created — regardless of the circumstances of birth, or who made what choices. The child's right to support exists independently of parental disagreements.
What the Law Says
Your Legal Foundation
Código Civil y Comercial de la Nación
art. 646 del Código Civil y Comercial — Parental duty to support
“The duties of the parents are: ... to provide food and education to the child; ...”
This law imposes a duty on both parents to support their child, regardless of whether the pregnancy was planned or chosen by one parent. Therefore, the father cannot avoid his obligation by claiming the mother's decision to have the child.
What Scripture Says
God's Word on This
1 Timothy 5:8 (NET)
“But if someone does not provide for his own, especially his own family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
Scripture is unequivocal that providing for one's children is a fundamental moral and spiritual obligation — refusing this duty on the grounds of personal disagreement is directly addressed and condemned.
Psalm 68:5 (NET)
“A father to the fatherless and a defender of widows is God in his holy dwelling.”
God aligns himself with the defence of children who lack a father's provision — this is a clear indication of where divine justice stands when a father abandons their financial responsibility.
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You Know the Law — But Do You Know What to Say?
Reading your rights is one thing. Using them under pressure — calmly, correctly, in the right words — is what actually protects you. Members get the scripted rebuttal for this exact situation: what to say first, what to say if they push back, the tone to use, and the constitutional provision to cite. Practise out loud with audio until it's automatic.