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Termination of Rights so Stepfather can Adopt HELP Please!

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kyliew

Junior Member
What is the name of your state? SC

I have a 6 year old daughter that has lived with me the entire time. The biological father has never been in the picture, did not want to be, never paid a dime, never seen the child, never offered any type of contact whatsoever in 6 years. I am married now to a Fountain Inn police officer who has been in her life since she was 11 months old and would like to adopt her. I am the only name on the birth certificate, so what route do I need to take to get my husband now to adopt the only daddy she has ever known. I have heard that he has lost his rights due to abandonment and also that I should run an ad in the legal section of the newspaper for 5 weeks. Please help me, I do not have thousands of dollars for lawyer and heard that I could represent myself. Please guide me and my husband in the right direction so that we can have this legal and get her name changed. Thank you so much in advance for your help.

Does anyone know how I go about doing this, without a bunch of legal fee's? What are my rights?
 


Isis1

Senior Member
can we assume you never married the father to your child? was there ever an order for support? for visitation? has he been legally estblished as the father of your child? how long have you been married?

the father, once established as the father cannot lose his rights for abandonment unless a judge ordered it so. at this point, the father can at anytime file for visitation/custody/support and paternity establishment.

and most seniors on here will tell you to get an attorney for an adoption. it's alot more complicated and not worth doing it unless it's done right. no room for mistakes.
 

milspecgirl

Senior Member
have you considered contacting the father and asking him to establish paternity and then sign off his rights?
he cannot abandon something he doesn't have. Until he is legally declared the father, there can be no abandonment.
so , the 1st step is getting him legally declared dad. then, hopefully he will be willing to just sign away his rights if he truely doesn't want the child.
however, he will be well within his rights to ask for joint legal custody, visitation, etc once established as the legal dad
 

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