Father’s Rights in Adoption: An Overview

One of the questions which you may face when considering a New York adoption placement is whether the birth father has the legal right to interfere with or upset the adoption. This summary is intended to help you understand these rights.

To begin with, the mother’s consent is required in virtually all infant adoptions in New York. Similarly, if the mother is married, her husband’s consent is ordinarily required if he is the biological father. However, the laws relating to the rights of unwed birth fathers are somewhat more complicated.