Are Birth Fathers Typically Involved in the Process?

When thinking about adoption, many times people envision the adoptive family and the birth mother and their relationship in the adoption process. However there is another very important piece to the adoption process -- the birth father.

Each adoption story is unique and different from the next. Just as there are many reasons and situations that lead adoptive couples to choose adoption, there are also many reasons why birth parents choose adoption. There is no "typical" birth parent and each has their own thoughts, feelings and decisions when choosing adoption.

In domestic adoption, the birth father may or may not be involved in the adoption process. While some birth fathers choose to be very involved in the process by supporting the birth mother and helping to choose the adoptive family, others are not. In some instances, the birth fathers simply want nothing to do with the adoption process, while in other cases the identity of the birth father may even be unknown. At American Adoptions, our Adoption Specialists work with each adoptive parent through the adoption process, including both the birth mother and the birth father (if he chooses to participate). Even if the birth father refuses to be involved in the process, it is still possible to move forward with an adoption plan in many states.

In an international adoption, the identity of the birth parents may not be known as in many instances, the children available for adoption have been anonymously placed for adoption. Children available for adoption internationally are considered to be orphans and all rights of the biological parents have been terminated prior to the adoption.