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Directly below is the excerpt from my novel. I cannot think of a single word, or even a short phrase, that would insult him without insulting the child as well.

"He fathered - no, scratch that - he {BLANK}ed a illegitimate child whom I've felt the moral obligation to help raise in his absence."

I want to avoid using the word 'spawned' due to its negative connotation.

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  • begot (very biblical too)
    – Cosmic Cat
    Commented Dec 9, 2018 at 7:11
  • The insult to the child isn't in its manner of parentage, it's the fact that the character raises it only out of a feeling of obligation.
    – Spencer
    Commented Dec 9, 2018 at 14:08

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The best word for you to use is "begat," a very Biblical word which means "to father or mother" but only in a strictly biological sense. From Wiktionary.

To beget (v). To father; to sire; to produce (a child). To bring forth.

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