5 Important Adoptions Laws [And your Rights]
As a prospective birth parent, you will always have certain adoption rights throughout your adoption process. American Adoptions of Arizona will make sure that you understand these adoption rights and that they are protected.
If you have adoption legal questions, you’ve come to the right place. If you’re asking, “What are my rights to “give my child up” for adoption?” know that you are in charge of this process. At American Adoptions of Arizona, we are dedicated to making sure that you understand your adoption legal rights and domestic adoption law in Arizona. Adoption is a process with a lot of moving parts, and you deserve to feel informed enough to be confident in your decisions.
Your Adoption Rights
When you choose to pursue adoption, you become a prospective birth mother. As a prospective birth mother, you will have certain rights during your journey. We will do everything in our power to answer your adoption legal questions. At American Adoptions, we will always protect your adoption rights and make sure you understand every portion of the adoption process.
A woman’s right to “give a baby up” for adoption includes more than just her right to choose this option and legally complete the process — it also encompasses all the rights she has to plan her own adoption journey. When you work with our agency, you can know you will have these protected rights along the way:
1. The Right to Change Your Mind About Adoption
If you’re asking “Can I get my baby back after adoption in Arizona?” the answer is no. Arizona does not allow for a revocation period after you have consented to the adoption.
However, you can change your mind about adoption at any point before officially relinquishing your parental rights. No matter how early or late in your pregnancy you are, or even if you’re already at the hospital, you can change your mind about adoption in Arizona. If you decide to parent your child or that adoption just isn’t for you, this is well within your rights.
You are never obligated to choose adoption, no matter how far along you are in your adoption plan, and your adoption specialist will always respect these inherent legal adoption rights behind putting a baby up for adoption.
2. The Right to Receive Free, Unplanned Pregnancy Counseling
Adoption is a brave and selfless choice. Even if you know that it’s the best choice for you and your baby, doesn’t mean it’s an easy one to make. It’s perfectly valid to experience feelings of grief and loss after your adoption. American Adoptions will always offer you 24/7 counseling. Your adoption specialist is only a phone call or text away. They can help you navigate these difficult emotions and provide guidance on how to cope.
“Even though adoption was the hardest decision I will ever make in my life, American Adoptions also made it the best decision I’ve ever made in my life,” said Erika. “Even to this day, I know that every time I call [my adoption specialist] Shannon I feel like I am her only birth mom that she has to deal with because she has no problem talking to me and listening to everything I have to say.”
3. The Right to Create Your Own Adoption Plan in Arizona
Your adoption legal rights as a prospective birth mother mean that you run the show of your own adoption journey. You get to create your own adoption plan outlining what you want from your adoption. You are always in control, and your adoption specialist will be there to support you from start to finish.
You will never be judged for any decisions you make when you work with American Adoptions. Your adoption specialist will make all appropriate arrangements on your behalf and will always be available to talk you through these decisions.
“You could tell they weren’t just putting on a front to make you want to do it or push you into it,” said Angelica about her experience working with American Adoptions. “They want whatever you want, and that’s what they told me during the whole process. It wasn’t up to them; they were just going to be there for me no matter what decision I made.”
One of your prospective birth mother rights in open adoption is being able to choose the family that you feel is a perfect match to raise your child. This is a big decision to make, and you will always be the one in charge of choosing a wonderful family for your baby. Your adoption specialist can aid you in this decision and will speak with you at length about your desires for an adoptive family and present to you profiles of families who meet those preferences.
You will have the chance to meet with and get to know the family when selecting them for your baby. You can take as long as you want to find the perfect family for your child, and American Adoptions will support you through this decision. You will always have this right, no matter how late in your pregnancy you are choosing adoption.
4. The Right to Choose Your Post-Placement Relationship in Arizona
Another of your prospective birth mother rights in open adoption is choosing the kind of contact you want to have with the adoptive family before and after your adoption is complete. You always get to choose what kind of relationship you want — whether it’s a closed, semi-open or open adoption.
“Alyssa and I felt so privileged to have such amazing support from American Adoptions,” said Josh, Cassius’s birth father. “We couldn’t believe how fortunate we were to make the choices of who would adopt Cassius, what sort of contact we might have, and how regularly we might have contact. To have that kind of control over the situation made all the difference for us.”
While you will have no legal parental rights after you “give a child up” for adoption, open adoption allows you to remain a part of your child’s life. Your adoption specialist will always be there to coordinate communication and make sure the adoptive family maintains their communication with you.
5. The Right to Sign Adoption Paperwork When You’re Ready
When you are preparing to complete the legal adoption paperwork after your baby’s birth, you may have a lot of questions about a mother’s legal rights when giving a baby up for adoption.
Before you place your baby for adoption, your adoption specialist and/or attorney will always explain your adoption rights in the process. When it comes to state adoption laws in Arizona, you must wait at least 72 hours from the time your baby is born before you can sign the legal adoption papers and terminate your parental rights.
Arizona does not have a revocation period. Once you sign the legal adoption forms, the adoption is permanent. If you’re wondering what your parental rights are after you “give your child up” for adoption, make sure to ask your adoption specialist, so you understand exactly what you’re signing.
American Adoptions respects your decision to place your baby for adoption, and our specialists will always support your decision, no matter what it ultimately is.
To get more information about your legal rights in the adoption process, call 1-800-ADOPTION or contact us online.
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