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Clearing the Confusion of Adoption

Oct. 1, 2019

Not all couples can conceive a child, regardless of medical intervention, or wishful thinking. Some couples choose not to have their own children. Some single individuals may want to raise a child on their own. Regardless of the reason, adopting a child is a viable, beautiful, and altruistic option to build a family. While it is a wonderful and caring act to adopt an infant or younger child, there are some tricky parts to the process that often requires you to work with a Colorado Springs family law attorney. Today, we’ll go over some of the basics of adoption, steps to take, and what you need to know. It is best to work with an experienced Colorado Springs family law attorney, but this article will help get you started.

In order to adopt a child, the child in question must be available for adoption in the first place. This occurs either because the birth parent relinquishes their parental rights to the child, or the legal system has revoked parental rights from the birth parent(s). This could be because of poor treatment, criminal background on the part of the parent, or that the child is in danger. A parent may also relinquish parenting rights due to not being ready to raise a child, not being able to afford the child, embarrassment, or any other number of reasons. Regardless of how the child became available for adoption, once he or she is, you can file to adopt them. As an aside, a parent cannot give up rights to the child until the child is born, never before.

After you have selected a child, you will go through one of two processes: open or closed adoption.

Open adoption: The birth mother wants to have involvement in the child’s life, sometimes including visitation rights. For this type of arrangement, a family law attorney is absolutely necessary to clear up any issues or confusion in the future.

Closed adoption: This involves zero contact with the birth mother. If you were to visit an adoption center, you would almost assuredly go through the closed adoption process. In some cases, there may be limited contact with the birth parent, though it’s highly unlikely.

While most people think adoption is a simple process, as we’ve seen, there are many ways that it quickly becomes complicated and confusing. It is always best to have a Colorado Springs family law attorney in your corner to guide you through the intricate legal battle; if you are considering adopting a child, call our offices today so we can help review your case and simplify and expedite the process to allow your family to grow without stress.