3 Common Misconceptions About Birth Fathers in Texas
If you are one of many birth fathers in Texas considering adoption for your child, you may be facing a number of misconceptions about what being a birth father means. You may be wondering if placing your child for adoption makes you irresponsible or uncaring or if you will even be able to have a role in your child’s adoption arrangement. However, if this describes you, there is no reason to worry, as adoption is the most responsible decision you can make as a birth parent, and you have many rights throughout the adoption process.
As a Texas birth father in the adoption process, we understand that adoption can often be difficult and confusing. At Adoption Choices of Texas, we are here to help you navigate the many ups and downs of the adoption journey. We will work with you to create an adoption plan that works for the child, birth mother, and father.
If you need help with adoption now, you can call us at 945-444-0333, text us at 945-444-0333, or email us here.
- Texas Birth Fathers are Uncaring and Unsupportive
While many people believe that birth fathers are uncaring and distant throughout the adoption process, this statement could not be farther from the truth. Some birth fathers choose not to involve themselves in the adoption process, but many still pursue an active role in their child’s adoption arrangement. In fact, many birth fathers who want to become more involved in the adoption process report not knowing how to do so, rather than simply not being interested. People who believe this myth generally think the birth father is ‘giving their child up,’ yet there is an important distinction between ‘giving up’ and placing for adoption. By choosing adoption, you are making the difficult and responsible choice to place your child in a family with more resources and opportunities. - Birth Fathers Have No Rights in a Texas Adoption
Many birth fathers and other people believe that the adoption process does not consider the birth father at all and instead focuses on the birth mother and child. While it is possible for the birth mother to place the child for adoption in Texas without the birth father’s consent if the birth parents are not married, there are still a number of rights the birth father has, including the ability to contest their child’s adoption. The birth father is also free to help and support the birth mother to create the child’s adoption arrangement. If you are a birth father seeking to contest your child’s adoption or assert your own rights in your child’s adoption process, we encourage you to contact a
certified adoption lawyer. While Adoption Choices of Texas is here to support you and your child, our advice is not one-size-fits-all or even most, and each case often has different requirements. - A Texas Birth Father Does Not Remain in Contact with his Child
Even though most people today understand the concept of open adoption or an adoption arrangement where the birth family and child maintain contact, many think this arrangement is only for the birth mother and not the father. However, this is not the case. Like birth mothers, birth fathers have a right to maintain contact with their child throughout an open adoption. In fact, many birth fathers can help choose an open adoption as well as other aspects of the adoption plan. As a Texas birth father, you also have the right to contest certain aspects of your child’s adoption plan if you disagree with the birth mother, as long as you are the legal and biological father. This means that if you are the legal and biological father, you and the birth mother must both approve of the adoption plan prior to your child’s placement.
What are Your Rights as a Birth Father in a Texas Adoption?
While many people believe that the birth father does not have the same rights as the birth mother, the birth father actually has many rights that are important throughout the adoption process. At Adoption Choices of Texas, we understand that the different rules can often be confusing, but we are here to support you throughout your child’s adoption process. We want to help you make the decisions that are best for you as the birth father, the birth mother, and your child.
Please feel free to contact us at any time if you have any questions about your role as a birth father in the Texas adoption process or any other questions about adoption in general. We are here to help you throughout your adoption process.
As an expectant woman or birth parent, to learn more about adoption, contact Adoption Choices of Texas. You can call us at 945-444-0333, text us at 945-444-0333, or email us here. If you are hoping to adopt, please visit us here. We look forward to helping you through your adoption journey!
Meet the Author: Jennie Knuppel is a student at the University of Texas at Austin studying English Literature. She is currently enrolled in the English Honors Program, for which she is writing a thesis in comparative literature prior to graduating in the spring of 2022. Jennie has previously taken courses in literature and both creative and technical writing, and she spent four years working in her high school’s journalism department.
Jennie is also currently working as a barista, and, in her free time, she enjoys reading and spending time with her family and pets.
