What do you need to know about placing a baby up for adoption?

If you decide to place your baby up for adoption in Louisiana, you may have several questions and concerns regarding the state’s rules for doing so. Considering Adoption strives to make the whole process easier on you by answering your most pressing questions about Louisiana adoption law.

Many parents want to know when and how the birth parents must consent to the adoption. If you decide to go through an agency, the law states that you must wait three days after the child is born to give your consent. If you wish to pursue a private adoption, you must wait five days. A father, however, may consent any time before or after the birth, though he may revoke his consent until the fifth day after the child is born.

Before consenting to the adoption, the birth parents must participate in at least two-counseling agencies to discuss placement. The parent giving his or her consent must be of sound mind and capable of granting his or her permission. If the parent is a minor, his or her parent must be present at the time of surrender unless the minor parent has the consent of the court or he or she plans to surrender the baby to an agency.

Louisiana law requires both the child’s mother and his or her father, regardless of actual paternity, to consent to the adoption. The law presumes a man to be the child’s father if he was married to the child’s mother at the time of the child’s birth.

Some biological parents wonder when their consent becomes irrevocable. Per Louisiana law, consent becomes irrevocable at the time the court accepts and executes the adoption.

Finally, many fathers wonder what their rights are under the state’s laws. If a father signs an acknowledgment of paternity, he is entitled to petition for custody or pursue visitation if he so chooses.

The content shared in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to be read as legal advice.