Q: How does my baby's biological dad voluntarily sign over his rights? And can my boyfriend adopt my baby?
I live in Missouri. My baby's biological father left me after I found out I was pregnant and has a new girlfriend. We were only together a few weeks. My baby is 5 months old and at his request we did a paternity test. He has still not met his baby or paid child support and Now he is wanting to sign over his rights as father. I'm for that because he is not a good person. My boyfriend now is also considering adopting him but we need legal advice first and not sure how to go about all this. Can I terminate bio dad's rights without an adoption and if so what do I need to do?
A: The only way to terminate a biological parents are with an adoption. However, unless there is a court order regarding custody, an unwed father does not have any rights to his children, so if you want to merely keep the child away from him, you do not have to do anything; so long as he does not file for a legal father-child relationship.
1 user found this answer helpful
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
