Parents Rights

Birth parent rights are maintained until an adoption is finalized and their parental rights have been terminated. In the event of infant placement, the birth mother reserves the right to not sign the termination form until after the child is born and even then can legally change her mind. Birth fathers, biological, legal, adjudicated, or putative, are simply categorized into alleged and presumed roles for legal purposed by the Uniform Parentage Act. In the event of the birth father coming forward during the adoption process, he has a right to contest the finalization and will need to consent and forfeit his parental rights akin to the child's birth mother. Sometimes the courts can intervene in the event of a birth father coming forward and may rule in favor of the adoption. That being said, any adoption placement that occurs without the father's consent holds a certain risk that can abort the whole process.

Agencies and attorneys attempt to contact any potential birth fathers. If no one knows who or where he is, public adoption notices asking a father to come forward may be up for several weeks in an attempt to locate the father. Men who believe they may be fathers can register with the state's putative registry, which will be searched before any adoption is finalized.

Birth fathers who do not come forward by the finalization date lose their parental rights and cannot contest the adoption.