Petition · past parliament

Make it possible for a mother to change her child's name if the father is absent

Rejected 19 signatures

What the petition asks

I think that if a father makes no effort to pay for his child in 3 years, the mother should legally be allowed to change the child's surname to her own.
My son's father left 4 years ago and since that day he has never paid a penny towards his upbringing and he has not seen him in a year.

Why it was rejected

It was not clear what the petition asked the UK Government or Parliament to do.

Petitions need to call on the Government or Parliament to take a specific action. You could start a new petition explaining clearly what you would like the Government or Parliament to do.

Timeline

7 Dec 2016 Petition opened for signatures
15 Dec 2016 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 19
Status Rejected
Rejected 15 Dec 2016

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.