Summary of State Adoption Laws

Click for a summary of state adoption laws compiled by the Infant Adoption Awareness Training Project in an effort to provide useful information. These brief summaries include answers to the following questions:

1. Who may adopt?
2. Who may place a child for adoption?
3. Is birthparent counseling required?
4. May birthparents receive assistance with expenses?
5. How are putative father rights addressed?
6. When may the birthparent(s) relinquish custody and consent to adoption?
7. How much time does a birthparent have to change his or her mind after consenting to the termination of parental rights?



You may find it helpful to read the chapters titled "Should She Make an Adoption Plan?", "Should We Adopt the Baby?", "Should They Marry?" and "Should She Parent Alone?" in our book "How To Survive Your Teen's Pregnancy."

November is National Adoption Month. Take time to research adoption with your pregnant daughter, along with single parenting and marriage. Then, no matter which of these roads she chooses, she can feel confident that the decision was made with care and thought instead of off-handedly. When things are tough in the future (because life can be hard no matter what we choose), she can remind herself that she actively chose her road instead of saying "I wish I had considered ______."