Summaries of State Laws
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Consent to Adoption
Consent refers to the agreement by a parent, or a person or agency acting in place of a parent, to relinquish the child for adoption and to release all rights and duties with respect to tha... [more]
Infant Safe Haven Laws
Many State legislatures have enacted legislation to address infant abandonment and infanticide in response to a reported increase in the abandonment of infants. Beginning in Texas in 1999, ... [more]
Postadoption Contact Agreements Between Birth and Adoptive Families
In general, State law does not prohibit postadoption contact or communication. Since adoptive parents have the right to decide who may have contact with their adopted child, they can allow... [more]
Parties to an Adoption
In order for an adoption to take place, a person available to be adopted must be placed in the home of a person or persons eligible to adopt. All States, the District of Columbia, and the ... [more]
Putative Fathers
In the decades since 1960, out-of-wedlock births have increased dramatically. While much research on childbearing trends and the characteristics of unwed mothers exists, very little is know... [more]
Summaries of Laws Regarding Adoptions Finalized Abroad
Twenty-five states and one territory (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) grant the same recognition and effect to final decrees of adoption when issued pursuant to due process in... [more]
State Regulation of Adoption Expenses
Nearly all States, 1 the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories have enacted statutes that provide some regulation of the fees and expenses that adoptive parents are expected to pa... [more]
