Birthmother Adoption Rights in Florida and Beyond
You are pregnant! You didn’t see it coming and you may not have been prepared and you are considering your options. We get it. You don’t just randomly look up blogs on adoption sites. We are all too busy for that. You are probably scared and really worried and wondering if you have any rights and where you can be protected and find help.
We will be real with you. The adoption world can be as cold and harsh as a rainy winter night or it can be an incredibly rewarding and compassion filled journey. But, it all depends on whether you know your rights and whether the agency and advocate you work with knows them too.
The RIGHT to change your mind
The scariest question most birthmoms face is “If I start the journey, can I change my mind about the adoption while pregnant?” We assure you that you have the right to change your mind during the pregnancy or after birth. This right is yours until the adoption consent (after birth) is signed and final. You will have multiple opportunities to make that decision and we provide an attorney on your behalf to protect that right.
Many of the “rainy winter night” agencies have one goal in mind, getting you to place your baby. Often times they will “talk you into” finalizing so that they get paid and they don’t have an adoptive family upset with them.
At Destiny, we don’t do this for money. We are a non-profit and we do this for you. All of the time and effort and research is for you. Yes we love creating family and working with adoptive parents but we will never ever put finalizing an adoption over your rights and future.
The RIGHT to create an adoption plan
Our birthmoms often times wonder how many of the “shots” do they get to call. The truth is you are in charge of your body, baby and future when you work with the Destiny Girls. We are here to guide you and offer support and to help you make your own adoption plan. We will help you think of things you maybe aren’t even thinking about now so that you are not surprised along the way.
The RIGHT to choose an adoptive family for your child
Your adoption plan will include some things that are must haves for you in regards to picking an adoptive family. Once you create your plan, your birthmom advocate will present profiles of adoptive families that we have screened and hand picked for you. You get to decide what is best for you and your baby. We can go over all of the specific criteria so you can make that decision and know your rights.
The RIGHT to choose post placement contact
You may want a closed, open, or semi-open adoption. It is entirely up to you to decide what type of relationship you will have with your child in the future. We will only match you with adoptive family options that meet your post placement contact requests. You get to decide and we will protect your right.
The RIGHT to legal representation when signing legal documents
If you need an attorney to fight a traffic ticket in court, then you definitely need to be fairly represented and protected in the process of placing your baby or child for adoption.
We cannot possibly cover all of your rights in this one article. You have many more rights if you choose to start this journey and we will be glad to help you become completely aware of what they are.
When you sign the adoption consent and other legal documents, an attorney will be present to explain things and answer questions you may have. It is your right to have an attorney present, so that you fully understand what you are signing and how it impacts the adoption and your future. No shady legal jargon and we make it easy for you to ask questions and get answers.
If you are pregnant, and considering adoption, call our adoption advocates for information and assistance. We are here to answer your questions, and you are never obligated to choose adoption, or obligated to work with our agency if you do choose adoption. We are simply here to help and delighted to answer any questions you have.