Legacy shares crucial adoption rights of the expectant mother
It is critical for women considering adoption to know they are in the driver’s seat of the process. Legacy strongly advocates for the adoption rights of the expectant mother. The choice about who will parent her child, what her delivery will be like and the relationship she hopes to have with her child’s adoptive family are up to her.
Our Texas adoption agency educates the women we work with, ensuring they know their rights throughout their pregnancies. Here are some important facts an expectant mother considering adoption should keep in mind.
You are in charge
Until you have given your consent to the adoption (which Texas adoption law requires you wait 48 hours before doing), you are the child’s legal mother. Therefore, you have the right to change your mind and decide to parent at any time during your pregnancy or shortly afterwards.
It is also within the adoption rights of the expectant mother to wait more than 48 hours before signing over their custody. This might be an emotional situation, but no one can force you to consent to an adoption if you do not want to go through with it. This is true even if you have already partnered with an adoption agency and chosen a family to parent your child.
However, once you have granted parental custody to the adoptive family, it is nearly impossible to revoke it. This law exists for the sake of stability for the child.
More adoption rights of the expectant mother
Due to modern adoption practices, one of the most beneficial adoption rights of the expectant mother is that she selects her child’s parents. She can choose based on their location, interests, personalities, the type of relationship they’re open to post-adoption or even something intangible. Many of our birth moms say they “just knew” the couple they chose was the right one.
The expectant mom also gets to determine the following aspects of her pregnancy and delivery.
- The level of privacy she would like during her pregnancy
- Her OBGYN and delivery hospital
- Her labor and delivery plan
- Who can visit her in the hospital, when and length of time
- The name on her child’s birth certificate
Our Texas adoption agency makes sure every postpartum mother has legal representation while giving her consent to the adoption. It is our job to make sure everyone involved fully understands the important adoption rights of the expectant mother, especially herself.
Call us at (817) 899-5000 for expert advice about Texas adoption laws.
