About Child Adoption Rights

If you are considering adopting, you need to know your adoption rights during the process. Always involve an adoption attorney or you may use the services of an adoption agency that is licensed with your state. There is a lot of paperwork involved in adopting and therefore, you want to make sure that your rights as an adoptive parent are protected.

Your Rights to Information

During the adoption process, the adoption agency should tell you everything you need to know about the health of the child you wish to adopt. They must inform you of medical information and special needs the child may have. Obviously, if you are adopting an infant the process is much different than if the child is 10 years old. Therefore, if the child has been in foster care, you have a right to know how long and why he or she was placed on foster care.

A Change of Heart by Birth Parents

One of the biggest fears if you decide to adopt is that the birth parents will change their mind and take their child from you after you have form a bond. Movies have been made about this subject that are heart-wrenching and therefore, can cause anxiety. As an adoptive parent, you need to know that in some states they do allow birth parents to change their consent to adoption, which means they can withdraw the consent.

You need to be informed as to how long this time period is for withdrawing consent in your state. It can be up to a one year in certain states. Just because an adoptive parent withdraws consent does not mean the child is automatically returned to them. If the birth parents are found unstable or unable to take care of the child, the courts will decide to leave the child with the adoptive parents.