Constitution of The BahamasIn briefExplains how references to a father, births on ships or aircraft, and a father who died before the birth are treated in this Chapter.
Any reference in this Chapter to the father of a person shall, in relation to any person born out of wedlock other than a person legitimated before 10th July 1973, be construed as a reference to the mother of that person.
In this Chapter, a reference to a person's father is read as a reference to that person's mother if the person was born out of wedlock (to unmarried parents), unless the person was legitimated (given the legal status of a child born to married parents) before 10th July 1973.
For the purposes of this Chapter, a person born aboard a registered ship or aircraft, or aboard an unregistered ship or aircraft of the government of any country, shall be deemed to have been born in the place in which the ship or aircraft was registered or, as the case may be, in that country.
For the purposes of this Chapter, a person born on board a registered ship or aircraft, or on board an unregistered ship or aircraft belonging to the government of any country, is treated as having been born in the place where the ship or aircraft was registered or, as the case may be, in that country.
Any reference in this Chapter to the national status of the father of a person at the time of that person's birth, shall, in relation to a person born after the death of the father, be construed as a reference to the national status of the father at the time of the father's death; and where that death occurred before 10th July 1973 and the birth occurred after 9th July 1973 the national status that the father would have had if he had died on 10th July 1973 shall be deemed to be his national status at the time of his death.
In this Chapter, a reference to the national status of a person's father at the time of that person's birth is, for a person born after the father's death, read as a reference to the father's national status at the time of his death. Where the father died before 10th July 1973 and the birth happened after 9th July 1973, the national status the father would have had if he had died on 10th July 1973 is treated as his national status at the time of his death.