A birth father is the biological father of a child who has been or will be adopted; understanding your rights and how they apply to the adoption process is just as important for you, as it is for the birth mother of the child.

As a birth father you’re just like every other biological father, only the term ‘birth father’ is used to refer to a man who’s child is being or has been placed with an adoptive family. It is just as important for you to understand your rights and how they apply to the adoption process as it is for the birth mother of the child.

Birth fathers…

• Are the biological fathers of their child or children.
• Do not have custody of their children.
• Do not pay child support.
• May be married to the mother of the child, married to another, divorced, or unmarried.
• May or may not have surrendered their parental rights.
• May or may not live in the same area as their child’s adoptive family.

If you are finding out ‘after the fact’ that your child has been placed with an adoptive family, unfortunately, this is not uncommon. Many birth fathers find themselves excluded from the decision making process of adoption for many reasons. Often a birth father won’t be involved in choosing or meeting the adoptive parents, working with an adoption professional, or the birth of the baby because the birth father wasn’t able to be found, or because no attempt was made to locate and notify him.

If an adoption agency or other adoption professional is legitimate, they will make an attempt to locate the father of the child and make them aware of the adoption and their rights as fathers before proceeding with an adoption, but in some cases, an adoption still takes place without the birth father’s knowledge or consent.

If you feel you need to speak to an adoption attorney or adoption professional about your rights as a birth father, please contact us now at https://www.adoptionchoicesofkansasmissouri.com/contact-us/.