Parental Rights For Fathers

Before the early 1970s, birth fathers did not have any parental rights to a child born out of wedlock, nor did they have any say in the placement of a child with an adoptive family. Now, parental rights for fathers are more protected than ever.

Depending on your state laws, the parental rights for fathers in an infant adoption will change. In many cases of infant adoption, an agency or attorney is required to give the birth father at least 30 days before the time of birth to step forward. Announcements may be placed in a local paper's classifieds. Agencies and attorneys may also be expected to register in the state's putative father registry or prove that he has been financially supportive of the birth mother in some manner. A birth father can also assert his rights by having his name on the child's birth certificate. A birth father also has a strong case for parental rights if he and the birth mother were living together during the pregnancy or afterward. According to a Catholic Charities Adoption Services survey, a majority of fathers are committed to the relationship, have dated her for more than six months and acknowledge their paternity. This doesn't mean that things don't change over the nine-month course of a pregnancy.

Birth fathers can contest an adoption placement during the finalization process, however, their window to speak up after the child is born is usually considerably smaller than the birth mother's. This is particularly true if he waited until the last minute to become involved in the adoption process and cannot justify cause for the delay.