Our Services Director's Letter Benefits of AGAPE Questions and Answers About Our Adoptive Parents Making an Adoption Plan Georgia Adoption Laws Teen Pregnancy Are You Ready to Be a Parent? Issues in Counseling

Adoption Law in Georgia Adoption is both a legal and social/emotional process. This section will address the legal aspects. The following information is a brief synopsis of information a birth parent would want to know. Both sets of a child's parents, the mother and father, have rights and potential rights that have to be dealt with in order to make an adoption placement. Dealing with these rights can be done voluntarily or by court order. Yes, birth fathers need to be involved if and when at all possible. Although a birth father who is not married to the birth mother must file a petition to "legitimate" himself as the father to have any rights to a particular child, a legal process will need to be processed for each birth father to have him surrender or terminate his rights or potential rights when adoption is the plan. Adoptions of infant children are only made through Georgia AGAPE by the voluntary wishes of the birth mother (and a birth father, if he is cooperative). To voluntarily surrender and consent to the adoption of a child, birth mothers sign adoption papers after the baby is born, but no sooner than 24 hours after birth. Birth fathers can do the same. According to Georgia law, there is a ten day revocation period in which birth parents can change their mind and cancel the documents that have been voluntarily signed. After the ten day period, the documents are irrevocable. Please know that if you become a birth mother "client" of Georgia AGAPE, we will respect your rights fully. There will be no pressure applied. If there is an uncooperative birth father, options available to deal with that situation will be discussed with you. You will also have the option of consulting with an attorney or you can even hire an attorney, if you so desire. As you can imagine, there is more to be discussed about adoption law and how to handle differing situations than has been discussed here. Each birth mother will be advised of the legal ramifications of her circumstances and have all concerns addressed. That is our commitment to you. [Unplanned Pregnancies] [Adoption Information] [About AGAPE] [Adoptive Parent Services] [Information for Donors] [Board of Directors] [Contact Us] [Home]