Maternity
The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary · Walter A. Shumaker and George Foster Longsdorf; ed. James C. Cahill · 1922
The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary
The state or condition of a mother. It is either legitimate or natural. The former is the condition of the mother who has given birth to legitimate children; while the latter is the condition of her who has given birth to illegitimate children. Maternity is always certain; while the paternity is only presumed.