Adoption is the process by which a party (or two parties) can assume the parental rights and responsibilities for someone to whom they are not a natural parent. At the end of a successful adoption, the adoptive parent becomes the legal parent of the adoptive child, and a new birth certificate is issued with the adoptive parent or parents listed as the child's mother or father. Adoptions can be brought by step-parents, certain close relatives, or persons who have had legal custody of a child for a period of time.
When determining whether an adoption will be in the best interests of the child, the court will consider the adoptive parent's background, marital and economic status, age, and fitness to be a parent. The court may also have to terminate the parental rights of one or both of the adoptive child's natural parents. This can be done by the consent of the parent, or by a determination that the parent has abandoned the child by not providing support or having reasonable contact with the child for a period of time.
Our family law attorneys can guide you through the adoption process to make the process of adoption as smooth and straightforward as possible. |
