Protecting the rights of fathers is important, especially when it comes to giving a child up for adoption. It would not be fair for a mother to give up a child without informing the child’s father.
A Feb. 17 report discusses a case in which a father was unaware that he had fathered twins. The mother gave up the children for adoption to two couples. When he found out, he got legal custody of the little girl, but he is still seeking custody of his son.
Incidents like this are one reason why it’s important for fathers to know that they have children and for there to be a waiting period before an adoption can be completed. It’s not fair for an individual to have to fight for the right to see his children when he had no time to take a stand and claim custody rights.
This is a case that makes you wonder why adoption was needed. Adoption works well for people who can’t care for their children or for children who need homes due to neglect or abuse. This is different, though. The man was capable of taking care of his children and wanted to do so, but he had no idea that he was a father. What are the rights of the father, though? Mothers have the right to consent to adoption for 48 hours after a birth, but fathers are in a different situation. They may not know about the adoption or the births of their children. They might end up having to fight the adoption later, just like the man above.
Source: News-Press.com, “Protecting rights of a father during adoption,” Jon Ryan, Feb. 16, 2017