I work with women who come in to the hospital as 'confidential' with a password necessary to enter a locked unit. They often call the father of the baby within hours and give them the password and all is forgiven. It's crazy and all we can do is pray for their babies. So I can't always blame the men. One woman had a hard time deciding between the baby's father and her infant. (The father was deemed dangerous). She ultimately chose the father. DCF placed the infant with a family member they both had access to.
Also, in Florida the mom can decide whether to give her infant her surname or the infant's father. He has to show a license to verify ID and sign that he is the father. On one hand, it's easier to file for child support. Conversely, he then has rights.
Another nauseating fact; I've had women instruct me should the significant other ask to inform them that we do not do paternity testing.
There are two sides to every story and I've seen enough to know that it takes two to tango. It's very rare to find someone who's made an honest mistake or been snookered by some guy and then decides to leave the idiot for good. I know it happens. I can only tell you what I've sadly observed.
Thank you for your post. I was thinking along the same lines. The last name ties the baby to the daddy.