"Throughout history, illegitimate children were precluded from, among other legal rights, entering certain professions. The Book of Deuteronomy states: ‘A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to this tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the Lord. ’Duet. 23:2. At common law, a child born out of wedlock, referred to as a bastard, was considered a non-person and was not entitled to support from the father or inheritance from either parent. 1 W. Blackstone, Commentaries 459; Davis v. Houston, 2 Yeates 280 (1878)."

From Louisiana’s Civil Code, Article. 238:

"Illegitimate children generally speaking, belong to no family, and have no relations; accordingly they are not submitted to the paternal authority, even when they have been legally acknowledged."

"To be designated as an illegitimate child in preadolescence is an emotional trauma of lasting consequence."

From Wash. Supreme Court Judge Charles Smith in Guard v. Beeston (1997) 940 P.2d 642, 668:

"I write . . . to express my concern over the perpetuation of the offensive term ‘illegitimate’ in referring to a child born to parents not married to each other. Certainly, ‘illegitimate’ is a better word than ‘bastard,’ a word common in earlier statutes and decisions. RCW 4.24.010, at issue in this case, uses the term ‘illegitimate child.’ An innocent child is still stigmatized by that reference. We have made great strides in amending statutes to remove age-old terms which are offensive in our present-day society. The legislative process can use words which convey the same meaning, but are less demeaning to children."