Birth Father Roles and Responsibilities in Texas Adoptions

If you are considering adoption or navigating the Texas adoption process, you may be feeling overwhelmed by the number of decisions you are facing. While we understand that the Texas adoption process can be difficult and confusing, it is important to remember that you are not alone. Throughout your adoption process, you will be surrounded by loving and supportive individuals that will play an important part. Your support group can include anyone from personal relationships to more distant acquaintances, such as close family and friends, your adoption caseworker, and even your child’s father, depending on your relationship.

At Adoption Choices of Texas, we are here to support you throughout your adoption process in any way we can. In working with our adoption agency in Texas, you will have access to adoption counselors, caseworkers, and additional resources to help you prepare for your child’s placement. While it is certainly great to be surrounded by a close support circle of friends and family, this is by no means a necessity. We are here to support you and your child every step of the way.

Birth Father Roles in Texas Adoptions

While many birth fathers have been portrayed as absent and uncaring, this stereotype is completely false. In fact, choosing to place a child for adoption is one of the most selfless acts for any birth mother or father, as it gives their child a new chance at life with the ability to access opportunities and resources he or she may not otherwise have. In contrast to what many people believe, the birth father often has just as much of a role in their child’s adoption as the birth mother.

If you decide to pursue adoption in Texas, your child’s father will either choose not to be involved in the adoption or help create the adoption plan. However, there is a third option where your child’s father may contest the adoption, but this is only possible if the father is able to establish legal parental rights. In the state of Texas, the father’s consent to adoption is only required under special circumstances. This means that it is possible to choose adoption without the birth father’s consent if you are not married or living together, but we do encourage you to contact your child’s father, depending on your current relationship. While many people assume that the birth father does not want to be involved in their child’s adoption, this is not always the case. In fact, many birth fathers report wanting to be more involved in creating their child’s adoption plan yet feel unsure how to do so. 

Birth Father Responsibilities in Texas Adoption

The most important responsibility of any birth father in the Texas adoption process is to provide emotional support to the birth mother throughout her pregnancy. This means not only supporting your decision to choose adoption but also helping you through the many ups and downs of the adoption process, such as choosing an adoptive family and whether your adoption arrangement will remain open or closed. Of course, we understand that this may not be possible if your child’s father is absent or uninvolved, and our counselors and caseworkers will be with you every step of the way.

While emotional support is an important responsibility of any birth father after you have chosen adoption, your child’s father will no longer face a financial responsibility. At Adoption Choices of Texas, we are proud to offer financial support for any pregnancy-related expenses to our birth mothers and fathers in need, including rent, groceries, transportation, phone service, and maternity clothes. Once you have chosen adoption, your child’s father will also no longer be responsible for child support once your child is born. The birth father’s responsibilities post-placement largely depend upon his involvement in your child’s adoption arrangement and whether your adoption is open or closed. In an open adoption, you are able to maintain a relationship with your child and his or her adoptive family, and your child’s father may choose whether or not he wishes to remain in contact. However, in a closed adoption, neither you nor your child’s father may contact your child, as the adoption record will remain anonymous.

What is the Role of Your Child’s Father in a Texas Adoption?

As a birth mother in Texas, it is important to remember that adoption plans come in all shapes and sizes. Your child’s birth father may choose to help and support you throughout your adoption journey, but they also might decide not to become involved. You may even choose to pursue adoption without the birth father’s consent, depending on the circumstances of your pregnancy. The most important part of your adoption plan is to have a support circle who will be there for you no matter what, whether they are friends, family, or your adoption team.

At Adoption Choices of Texas, we are here to support you throughout your adoption process in Texas. Our adoption counselors and caseworkers are available to answer any questions, and we will work with you to create an adoption plan that works for you and your child, whether your child’s father is involved or not. 

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.