Fathers of unborn children have few legal rights when it comes to their child. While some states grant fathers of unborn children specific legal rights in a limited number of circumstances, most rights over the child fall to the mother.

Divorces are lawsuits that require your husband notify you of the divorce filing. If your husband doesn't serve you with notice of the divorce, the divorce cannot proceed. If you and your husband reside in different states, that complicates this requirement.

A divorce is a civil action, in much the same way as is a lawsuit for damages. No decree of divorce will be considered legally valid unless your spouse was legally notified of the divorce proceedings.

Mothers have traditionally been viewed as the best caregiver for their children by the courts.

The laws of all U.S. states permit you to obtain a divorce even if your marriage occurred overseas. The only caveat is that the foreign marriage must be valid pursuant to the laws of the country where it occurred, according to the American Bar Association Section of Family Law.

As of 2000, an estimated 6 percent of United States adults were convicted felons, according to author Joan Petersilia. If current trends persist, one in every 15 adults, or 6.6 percent, will serve time in prison, according to Criminal Records.

Full custody, also called sole custody, occurs when a court awards either you, your spouse or a third party both physical placement and legal custody of your child or children.

Parental drug abuse potentially impacts legal rights in three different areas: visitation, custody and parental rights, according to the American Bar Association Section of Family Law. Drug abuse by a parent potentially causes the loss of visitation, custody and even parental rights in the most serious of cases.