The law changed on 1 December 2003 to make it easier for unmarried fathers to get equal parental responsibility - all you have to do is for both parents to register the birth of your baby together.
Parental responsibility for your child gives you important legal rights as well as responsibilities. Without it, you don't have any right to be involved in decisions such as where they live, their education, religion or medical treatment. With parental responsibility, you are treated in law as the child's parent, and you take equal responsibility for bringing them up. Unlike mothers and married fathers, if you are not married to your baby's mother you do not automatically have parental responsibility for them.
Before the change in 2003, you could only gain parental responsibility by later marrying the child's mother, signing an official agreement with the mother or getting a court order. You can still get responsibility in these ways - you might want to think about this if you have other children.