can a mother put a baby up for adoption without the consent of the father?
ryan gill asked:
suppose the mother doesn’t want the baby and decides to put the up for adoption but the father who is not in a relationship with the mother, wants the baby can he force her not to put the baby up for adoption and if so could he go and sue for child support. Alternatively could he adopt the baby and su for child support, just wondering.
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suppose the mother doesn’t want the baby and decides to put the up for adoption but the father who is not in a relationship with the mother, wants the baby can he force her not to put the baby up for adoption and if so could he go and sue for child support. Alternatively could he adopt the baby and su for child support, just wondering.
January 13th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
Yes he can apply for custody of the baby and yes he can go for childsupport if he chooses to. He can block the adoption. Any adoption done without fathers consent can be considered an illegal adoption and can be stopped. In most cases if the mother is not married and both mother and father agree to adoption they may do a paternity test to make sure that he is the father. My cousin went to adopt a baby and the mother tried to do that she tried to say one man was the father to get the adoption pushed through but the agency did the test and found out the truth so the adoption was stopped, the real father wanted the baby and the courts did end up giving him the baby since the mom had already signed away her rights.
BTW there is a lifetime movie based on this exact thing that I can’t remember the name of it but the father did want custody and fought for it and blocked the adoption. Actually now that I think of it there were two movies based on actual events that did that where the father got the babies because the mother put the baby up for adoption without their consent. momof3boys
January 16th, 2010 at 10:38 pm
Legally - no. However, adoption agencies hire lawyers to figure out how to get around the law, so, in practice, it happens all of the time. He does not need to adopt his own child as long as he has DNA evidence that he is the father. Yes, the father could sue the mother for child support.
If you or someone you know is in that situation, he should immediately:
1 - Register with the Putative Father’s Registry in your state and surrounding states.
2 - Support the mother financially while she is pregnant with respect to her maternity expenses and possibly living expenses. Keep meticulous records of financial support.
3 - Contact her often to inquire about the her and the baby’s health. Document the contact.
4 - Elicit support from the father’s parents.
5 - Prepare a safe and healthy home for the child. Take pictures. Get letters of reference.
6 - Take child development classes. Document class attendance.
Standing back during the gestation period and then just showing up at the hospital after birth to demand the baby probably will not work. grapesgum
January 19th, 2010 at 6:24 am
The father has the same rights as the mother and you can not place for adoption without his consent. He doesn’t have to adopt his own child—it’s already his child. cricketlady
January 20th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
You can’t put your baby up for adoption unless you have the fathers consent. He can get custody of the baby but you’d have to pay child support. You may can sign your rights to the child away and then you wouldn’t. harley_cowgirl_20
January 23rd, 2010 at 10:32 pm
yes u would need his consent no way around that if he doesnt agree also he could put u on child support the only way out of that is to terminate your parental rights but that a huge decision cant be changed later Proud Mommy
January 25th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
No she cannot. You have to have the fathers consent.
Now if she relinquishes the rights to her child but the father wants the baby, I’m not sure if she would have to pay child support or not. She should have to though Puppy Love
January 27th, 2010 at 9:47 am
If the father is aware of the baby, then he must also sign away his rights in order for the adoption to be legal. He can take custody and get child support, just like the mother can.
Why would he adopt his own baby? LC
January 30th, 2010 at 6:27 pm
No she can’t, yes he can. snowwillow20
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:40 pm
Yes he could keep you from putting the baby up for adoption but if he’s not willing to help care for the kid you could go to a judge and have his rights taken away. mykala b
February 3rd, 2010 at 4:05 am
I was in this situation. I was pregnant and wanted to place my son for adoption but the father of the child wanted custody. The adoption agency has a lawyer working for them so I got his advice and he said the best option is to talk with the father and see how serious he is. I did talk with him and basically said neither of us was in the position to be a parent - I was 15 and he was 17. We both knew adoption was in the best interest of the child. He signed away his rights so that I could pursue the adoption. CJ