Wondering about parental rights?

It’s often assumed that when it comes to matters of family planning, fathers have few rights. However, this is not the case. In all U.S. states and territories, the law spells out the rights of a child’s biological father, also called the birth father. This remains true in cases of adoption.

Choosing the right adoptive parents for your baby is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. Luckily, you will have plenty of options. It’s not out of the ordinary to be approached by five or ten prospective parents, including couples and single adoptive parents. There may be even more.

Families are made and grow in all kinds of different ways. Whether the journey involves pregnancy, assisted pregnancy, or one of the many forms of adoption, one thing is the same: Parents love and cherish their children and always want the best for them.

  As expectant parents, you want to make sure the adoptive parents who will be raising your child will provide them with the best quality of life possible. Couples who apply to adopt a child typically do so with the truest intentions. Many can't have children on their own or already have children and simply want to expand their families. As adoptive parents, they understand how important it is to make sure the child they receive gets the best life possible.

Deciding to place a child for adoption naturally leads to a lot of questions. One of the most common questions parents have is, “What’s going to happen at the hospital?” Encompassed here are questions about seeing the baby after it’s born, whether the adoptive parents will be there, and much more. Fortunately, many of the answers to these questions depend greatly on your decisions.

The decision to place a child for adoption is a difficult (and permanent) one. The birth father, if known, should have a choice in the matter, equal to your own. In several states and specific areas, including Maryland and Washington, D.C., the father must be notified of your intention to give the child up for adoption; or, in some areas, like Virginia, must be advised of the existence of the Birth Father Registry. Adoption attorneys are required to make their best possible effort to locate the birth father using accurate information provided by their client (most likely, you). Using sources like social media accounts and background checks, along with internet searches, the attorney will attempt to locate the father. However, if all these efforts are exhausted and the father is still unavailable, you may still be able to pursue adoption.

Adoption can be an excellent option for pregnant women who, for a variety of reasons, are unable to take on the responsibility of raising a child at this time in their lives. Many families have been created because a pregnant woman decided that the best choice for herself and her child was to ensure the child had a good home, a loving family, and a better life than she might otherwise have been able to provide. However, giving your child up for adoption can seem like a daunting and complex task. Here’s what you can expect as you consider adoption.