Birth Father Rights: How They Can Impact a Potential Adoption
If a couple is unwed at the time of pregnancy, birth fathers do have certain rights that need to be taken into consideration. Before a father can be legally considered a ‘father’ to a child, he must establish his paternity. This is necessary even if there is no question to the father’s paternity. In the state of Utah, for unmarried couples, mothers have a natural right to primary custody after the child is born. His paternity will also be recognized after birth if his name is listed on the child’s birth certificate. That being said, under Utah’s law, an infant age six months or younger can be placed for adoption without the legal consent of the birth father unless he has established his paternity or started the petition to do so. If paternity is established, the birth father must give his legal consent for the child to be placed.
Occasionally, a birth father can fight for his rights. For example, a contested adoption occurs when a third party, most frequently the birth father, seeks to claim parental rights of the child which then disputes the placement of the child with he/she’s adoptive parents. It is vital for birth mothers to know and be aware of birth father rights and how they can potentially impact placing their child for adoption.
For more information regarding birth father rights and placing your child for adoption, contact Forever Bound Adoption at 801-821-1354.