Birth Father

It takes two to bring a child into the world, but it doesn't always take two to place a child with an adoptive family.

Most often, infant adoptions are negotiated between the birth mother and prospective adopters. It's rare that a birth father ever comes into the process. In fact, many fathers didn't have extensive rights to a child born out of wedlock until 1972. In some U.S. states fathers are allowed to be more active in adoption proceedings and can contest a decision to place with an adoptive family.

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There are a few different ways to be considered a child's birth father. He can be a man who is biologically related to the child or he can be a man who thinks he may be related to the child or is able to prove he has provided financial support of the birth mother during pregnancy. Because many adoption placements result from unplanned pregnancies, it's unlikely that a woman who was not in a committed relationship at the time will notify the biological father of his paternity. However, in an attempt to sidestep any ill-will many states require an effort be made on the birth mother, agency or attorney's part to contact the father and inform him of the intent to place the child with an adoptive family. A public notice in a newspaper is sufficient in some cases. Additionally, states with putative father registries require men who suspect they are birth fathers to register as a sign of interest in the adoption placement of his biological child. This is an important step for men who intend to contest a placement during the finalization hearings.

If a man has his name on a child's birth certificate, he also has more rights to contest a placement. In most cases, though, if a man does not step forward during the last month of pregnancy as the father figure he will need a reasonable cause to have not done so until the finalization hearings.

It's quite unlikely for a child's father to interrupt adoption placements, particularly if the birth mother can sign her consent to placement soon after giving birth. Fathers tend to have smaller windows in which to consent to terminating their parental rights after birth but some may do so up to a month before the child is born.