Do Birth Parents Change Their Minds?

One of the many fears some couples have when considering adoption is that the birth parents will change their minds and back out of the adoption. This fear is often perpetuated by television movies and dramatized news stories, further heightening this fear that can often lead couples away from the adoption decision.

In domestic adoption, there is always a chance that the birth parents could change their minds. However, adoption law is clear; once the adoption is finalized, the child is recognized as the adoptive family's child by law. Although there have been a few highly publicized adoption cases in which the adoption was overturned after being finalized, the truth is that these cases were fraught with errors and legal missteps, making them invalid. These cases are rare and are exceptions. In the majority of adoptions finalized today, the birth parents have no rights to the child once the adoption is finalized.

The time in which a birth parent may change their mind varies from state to state. In all cases, the birth parents are free to change their minds at any time prior to the birth of the child. This is a risk that couples in a domestic adoption do face. Once the baby is born and the birth parents sign their consent to the adoption, they may have a certain time frame in which they may revoke their consent. This time frame varies in each state. While some states consider the consent irrevocable upon signing, others give the birth parents a set number of days in which they may revoke their consent. Some states even require the birth parents to appear before a judge to give their consent to the adoption. To learn more about adoption revocation time frames for each state, click here.

Adoption agencies such as American Adoptions do their best to prepare birth parents for the adoption process. The birth parents are given 24 hour, seven days a week support and work with their Adoption Specialists to be prepared for the grief and loss they can expect to feel once the baby is born and help them focus on their adoption plan and their reasons for choosing adoption. This support and preparation are key in a successful adoption. Additionally, American Adoptions works with experienced adoption attorneys from each state to ensure that all legal avenues are met regarding the finalization of the adoption.

Couples who are wary of the possibility of birth parents changing their minds may wish to pursue an international adoption. In international adoptions, there is no risk of the birth parents changing their minds as the children available for adoption are considered orphans. To learn more about international adoption, click here.