Can I Do an Adoption Plan in Texas If I Don’t Know My Child’s Father?
As a pregnant woman in Texas considering placing your baby for adoption, you may have some important concerns about the Texas adoption process and the involvement of your child’s father. While Adoption Choices of Texas certainly encourages our birth fathers to support the birth mother, there is absolutely no problem if you do not have a relationship with your child’s father. Our adoption counselors and caseworkers will work with you to create an adoption plan no matter what.
At Adoption Choices of Texas, we are dedicated to helping you create an adoption plan that works for you and your child, whether or not the father is involved. We are here to support you throughout your adoption journey, even if your child’s father is unknown or absent.
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.
Choosing a Texas Adoption with an Unknown Father
If you decide to pursue a Texas adoption, that is great news! Adoption Choices of Texas is here to help, whether you know your child’s father or not. Once you have chosen adoption, there are several possible steps your adoption caseworker can take to identify your child’s father and get his consent for your child’s adoption. However, because Texas law only recognizes paternity if the birth parents are married, this can often be a lengthy process.
Under Texas law, an unmarried man can only be recognized as a biological father if he is able to assert his paternity. Your adoption caseworker may identify your child’s father with any known information and will likely ask you some questions about any information you have. As the birth mother, it is extremely important to answer these questions truthfully, as not doing so may prevent your child’s adoption from taking place later on. However, if your child’s father cannot be identified or fails to respond in a timely manner, his parental rights will be terminated.
Making a Texas Adoption Plan Without the Birth Father’s Consent
If you are unable to locate your child’s birth father, this means that your child’s father will no longer have parental rights, and the adoption will proceed without the birth father’s consent. After this step, there is no need to worry about any interruptions from the birth father because their paternity will not be legally recognized, and your child’s adoption process will be just like any other. As the birth mother, you will be able to choose each part of your child’s adoption.
While many birth mothers may feel overwhelmed at the thought of making an adoption plan without the birth father’s support, we will be here for you no matter what. You will have access to an adoption caseworker to help with many of the most important decisions of your child’s adoption plan, such as choosing between an open or closed adoption and finding an adoptive family. At Adoption Choices of Texas, we want to make sure that you never feel alone, and our adoption counselors and caseworkers will be here for you at any time.
Birth Mother Rights in a Texas Adoption
No matter what scenario you find yourself in, the birth mother has the right to choose adoption at any time. While you should carefully consider your options before choosing adoption, Adoption Choices of Texas will support you no matter what. Our top priority is to make sure that you are comfortable with your child’s adoption plan, and we will work with you at any stage of your pregnancy, even if your child is already born.
As the birth mother, you have the right to determine many of the arrangements in your child’s adoption plan. This means that you can choose whether or not you wish to maintain contact with your child and their adoptive family and whether or not you want to include the birth father in your adoption arrangement. While we understand that many of these decisions can be difficult to make, our adoption counselors and caseworkers will be here to support you, no matter what.
What are Your Rights as a Birth Mother in a Texas Adoption?
While we understand that the adoption process is never easy, especially without the support of the birth father, we will be here to remind you of your rights throughout your adoption journey. Our adoption counselors and caseworkers are dedicated to making sure that you are comfortable with your child’s adoption arrangement, and we will continue to work with you no matter what.
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.
