Does Biological Father Have Any Parental Rights?

[TraceLatham]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Maryland.

Here's our situation:

I was dating my daughter's biological father (not married or cohabitating) for 3 years. I ot pregnant at 24, he (at 21) demanded abortion, I refused. We never spoke again after I was 4 months pregnant and I asked if he wanted to go to the ultrasound and his exact words were, "I'd rather eat my own flesh." (I will remember that until the day I die.)

Daughter was born, me and bio-dad lived in the same city in Oklahoma for the next 8 years, I was listed in the phonebook, name and address. He never made contact at all, ever. Never even knew that the baby had been a girl, as far as I know, despite us being within 5 miles of each other from the time she was born until she was 8 years old. I never filed for, nor has he ever paid, child support of any kind.

I married when my daughter was 8, my husband is active duty military, and we have since moved to Maryland due to his current orders. The only male figure in my daughter's life has been her step-dad, since she was 6 years old and we started dating. He has always been the one she calls Daddy, she has never met, or spoken to, her biological father, and to this day he has still never made any attempt whatsoever to contact me, even though he has worked in the same corner store as my brother for the last 3 years (which I only found out recently), and my mother still lives in the same city as bio-dad and is in the phone book.

My husband wants to adopt my daughter, who is now 10 (turning 11 in December).

Does her biological father still have any kind of parental rights, though he has made absolutely no effort to even find out what GENDER his child is, much less contact me, my brother, or my mother regarding her?

 

[TheGeekess]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Maryland.

Here's our situation:

I was dating my daughter's biological father (not married or cohabitating) for 3 years. I ot pregnant at 24, he (at 21) demanded abortion, I refused. We never spoke again after I was 4 months pregnant and I asked if he wanted to go to the ultrasound and his exact words were, "I'd rather eat my own flesh." (I will remember that until the day I die.)

Daughter was born, me and bio-dad lived in the same city in Oklahoma for the next 8 years, I was listed in the phonebook, name and address. He never made contact at all, ever. Never even knew that the baby had been a girl, as far as I know, despite us being within 5 miles of each other from the time she was born until she was 8 years old. I never filed for, nor has he ever paid, child support of any kind.

I married when my daughter was 8, my husband is active duty military, and we have since moved to Maryland due to his current orders. The only male figure in my daughter's life has been her step-dad, since she was 6 years old and we started dating. He has always been the one she calls Daddy, she has never met, or spoken to, her biological father, and to this day he has still never made any attempt whatsoever to contact me, even though he has worked in the same corner store as my brother for the last 3 years (which I only found out recently), and my mother still lives in the same city as bio-dad and is in the phone book.

My husband wants to adopt my daughter, who is now 10 (turning 11 in December).

Does her biological father still have any kind of parental rights, though he has made absolutely no effort to even find out what GENDER his child is, much less contact me, my brother, or my mother regarding her?

He'll have to (at the very least) be notified of the adoption and given the chance to object. You will need an adoption attorney, as adoptions are not diy projects.

 

[Proserpina]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Maryland.

Here's our situation:

I was dating my daughter's biological father (not married or cohabitating) for 3 years. I ot pregnant at 24, he (at 21) demanded abortion, I refused. We never spoke again after I was 4 months pregnant and I asked if he wanted to go to the ultrasound and his exact words were, "I'd rather eat my own flesh." (I will remember that until the day I die.)

Daughter was born, me and bio-dad lived in the same city in Oklahoma for the next 8 years, I was listed in the phonebook, name and address. He never made contact at all, ever. Never even knew that the baby had been a girl, as far as I know, despite us being within 5 miles of each other from the time she was born until she was 8 years old. I never filed for, nor has he ever paid, child support of any kind.

I married when my daughter was 8, my husband is active duty military, and we have since moved to Maryland due to his current orders. The only male figure in my daughter's life has been her step-dad, since she was 6 years old and we started dating. He has always been the one she calls Daddy, she has never met, or spoken to, her biological father, and to this day he has still never made any attempt whatsoever to contact me, even though he has worked in the same corner store as my brother for the last 3 years (which I only found out recently), and my mother still lives in the same city as bio-dad and is in the phone book.

My husband wants to adopt my daughter, who is now 10 (turning 11 in December).

Does her biological father still have any kind of parental rights, though he has made absolutely no effort to even find out what GENDER his child is, much less contact me, my brother, or my mother regarding her?

Oklahoma does have a Putative Father Registry. Typically this would mean that unless he actually registered there, he has waived his right to notification and objection - even a stepparent adoption.

You need to run this by an attorney anyway just to make sure you can use OK's statute.