# Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 209C, sec. 1: Declaration of purpose; definition; responsibility for support > Massachusetts · Statutes · In force URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MA_PII_TIII_C209C_S1 ## Section - **Citation:** Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 209C, sec. 1 - **Heading:** Declaration of purpose; definition; responsibility for support - **Jurisdiction:** Massachusetts - **Kind:** Statutes - **Status:** In force - **Text as of:** August 14, 2026 - **Source:** Compiled text - **Location:** MA Code / Part II / Title III / Chapter 209C / Section 1 ## Text Section 1. Children born to parents who are not married to each other shall be entitled to the same rights and protections of the law as all other children. A child shall have the same rights and protections under law to parentage without regard to the marital status, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation of their parents or the circumstances of the child's birth, including whether the child was born as a result of assisted reproduction or surrogacy. It is the purpose of this chapter to establish a means for such children either to be acknowledged by their parents voluntarily or, on complaint by one or the other of their parents or such other person or agency as is authorized to file a complaint by section five, to have an acknowledgment or adjudication of their parentage, to have an order for their support and to have a declaration relative to their custody or visitation rights ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction. For the purpose of this chapter, the term ''nonmarital child'' shall refer to any child born to a persons who are not married to each other and shall include a child who was conceived and born to parents who are not married to each other but who subsequently intermarry and whose parentage has not been acknowledged by word or deed or whose parentage has not been adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction; and a child born to parents who are not married to each other whose parentage has been adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction, including an adjudication in a proceeding pursuant to this chapter or prior law. Every person is responsible for the support of their nonmarital child from its birth up to the age of eighteen, or, where such child is domiciled in the home of a parent and principally dependent upon said parent for maintenance, to age twenty-one. Each person charged with support under this section shall be required to furnish support according to their financial ability and earning capacity pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. Section 1. Children born to parents who are not married to each other shall be entitled to the same rights and protections of the law as all other children. A child shall have the same rights and protections under law to parentage without regard to the marital status, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation of their parents or the circumstances of the child's birth, including whether the child was born as a result of assisted reproduction or surrogacy. It is the purpose of this chapter to establish a means for such children either to be acknowledged by their parents voluntarily or, on complaint by one or the other of their parents or such other person or agency as is authorized to file a complaint by section five, to have an acknowledgment or adjudication of their parentage, to have an order for their support and to have a declaration relative to their custody or visitation rights ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction. For the purpose of this chapter, the term ''nonmarital child'' shall refer to any child born to a persons who are not married to each other and shall include a child who was conceived and born to parents who are not married to each other but who subsequently intermarry and whose parentage has not been acknowledged by word or deed or whose parentage has not been adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction; and a child born to parents who are not married to each other whose parentage has been adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction, including an adjudication in a proceeding pursuant to this chapter or prior law. Every person is responsible for the support of their nonmarital child from its birth up to the age of eighteen, or, where such child is domiciled in the home of a parent and principally dependent upon said parent for maintenance, to age twenty-one se parentage has been adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction, including an adjudication in a proceeding pursuant to this chapter or prior law. Every person is responsible for the support of their nonmarital child from its birth up to the age of eighteen, or, where such child is domiciled in the home of a parent and principally dependent upon said parent for maintenance, to age twenty-one. Each person charged with support under this section shall be required to furnish support according to their financial ability and earning capacity pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. ## Nearby sections - [Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 209C, sec. 1 Declaration of purpose; definition; responsibility for support](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MA_PII_TIII_C209C_S1.md) - [Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 209C, sec. 1A Definitions](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MA_PII_TIII_C209C_S1A.md) - [Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 209C, sec. 2 Parentage; acknowledgment or adjudication; statistical information of parties; transmission to registrarr](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MA_PII_TIII_C209C_S2.md) - [Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 209C, sec. 3 Paternity and support actions; jurisdiction; enforcement of prior orders or judgments; juvenile court commitment proceedings; parents convicted of first degree murder](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MA_PII_TIII_C209C_S3.md) - [Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 209C, sec. 4 Venue; service](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MA_PII_TIII_C209C_S4.md) - [Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 209C, sec. 5 Persons entitled to maintain actions or execute voluntary acknowledgment of parentage; parties](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MA_PII_TIII_C209C_S5.md) - [Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 209C, sec. 6 Presumption of paternity; mandatory joinder](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MA_PII_TIII_C209C_S6.md) - [Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 209C, sec. 7 Representation in parentage actions; appointment of counsel; burden of proof](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MA_PII_TIII_C209C_S7.md) - [Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 209C, sec. 8 Judgment of parentage; age of parents; notice](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MA_PII_TIII_C209C_S8.md) - [Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 209C, sec. 9 Judgment or order for support; health insurance; financial statement; determination of amount; notice](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MA_PII_TIII_C209C_S9.md) - [Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 209C, sec. 10 Award of custody; criteria](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MA_PII_TIII_C209C_S10.md) - [Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 209C, sec. 11 Acknowledgment of parentage; approval; parental agreements regarding custody, support and visitation](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MA_PII_TIII_C209C_S11.md) - [Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 209C, sec. 12 Trial; exclusion of public](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MA_PII_TIII_C209C_S12.md) - [Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 209C, sec. 13 Inspection of documents; copies; segregation of records](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MA_PII_TIII_C209C_S13.md) --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_MA_PII_TIII_C209C_S1. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.