Many expectant mothers are interested in adoption but are unsure whether they will be able to proceed due to a complicated situation with their baby’s birth father. These women often want to know whether it is possible to put a baby up for adoption without father’s consent.

The Law Offices of Denise M. Bierly is committed to helping you reach your adoption goals. Whether you are dealing with a supportive, unsupportive, uninvolved or unknown birth father, we will provide the information you need to understand his rights and the impact he may have on your adoption plan.

Here, learn more about your options for adoption without father consent in Pennsylvania.

Adoption When the Father is Unknown or Unsupportive

There are a number of reasons why an expectant mother may be considering adoption without consent of the father. She may not know who or where the baby’s father is, or he may be opposed to her adoption plan and withholding his consent.

Depending on a number of factors, including your individual circumstances, adoption without consent may be possible. Your baby’s father may need to take specific legal actions and demonstrate a commitment to you and your baby in order to prevent the adoption from moving forward. If the court determines that the birth father has failed to meet these obligations, his parental rights may be involuntarily terminated, allowing you to proceed with your adoption plan.

Birth father rights can be complicated, and it is important to work with an experienced attorney to fully understand the rights of your baby’s father in your unique circumstances. If you are dealing with an unsupportive, uninvolved or unknown father and adoption, you can contact The Law Offices of Denise M. Bierly at any time to learn more about your options for legal adoption without the father’s consent.

Adoption When the Father is Supportive and Involved

Not all birth fathers are uncooperative; in fact, many expectant mothers choose adoption with the full support of their baby’s father.

If your baby’s father is supportive of your adoption plan, he simply needs to sign his legal consent to the adoption according to Pennsylvania laws. Procedures to consent vary depending on whether he is considered a putative or legal father:

– Legal Father: If you are married to your baby’s father, he is considered the “legal father” of your baby. This means that he may consent to the adoption at least 72 hours after your baby is born, and he will be able to revoke his consent within 30 days of signing.

– Putative Father: If you are not married to your baby’s father, he is considered a “putative father,” and he may legally consent to the adoption at any time during your pregnancy or after your baby’s birth. His consent will be revocable for 30 days after the birth of your baby or 30 days after signing his consent, whichever occurs first.

Beyond legally consenting to the adoption, some birth fathers want to play a more active role in the adoption process. Your baby’s father can be as involved in your adoption plan as you are comfortable with, and he may become an important source of support for you before and after placement.

There are many ways to include your baby’s father in the adoption process:

– Allow him to help you make important adoption decisions

– Ask him to help you review adoptive family profiles, select adoptive parents and get to know them

– Lean on him as part of your adoption support system

– Include him in your hospital plan

– Invite him to develop an open or semi-open relationship with your child’s adoptive family

– And more

Whatever your relationship with your baby’s father, it is important to ensure that his rights are handled legally. Working with an experienced adoption attorney like The Law Offices of Denise M. Bierly can help ensure your baby’s future is protected and your adoption plan is followed.

To learn more about birth father rights in Pennsylvania and child adoption without the father’s consent, please contact The Law Offices of Denise M. Bierly for free, zero-obligation adoption information.