The meaning of this, a
child whose
parents are not
married, came about long ago when a child could have no
legal father other than the
husband of its
mother. Today, a man has a legal claim to and
responsibility for his
offspring regardless of whether he is married to the woman he
impregnated or not. All children have two
genetic parents, and could be proven to be the offspring of a particular male through
genetic testing. Therefore all children are
legitimate; they are legally the product of two parents.
If human cloning becomes a practice, will this term see a rise and a new meaning? A clone could arguably be an illegitimate child in both senses of the word: not legitimately a child, or not naturally the legal offspring of two parents.