Adopting a child is a deeply rewarding experience, while giving up a child for adoption can be quite emotional.
In both situations, you’ll have to comply with Kentucky law to find the right fit for your family’s unique needs. Whether you’re a hopeful adoptive parent or a birth parent looking to find a better home for your child, Michele Wilson Jones offers compassionate and sensitive legal services that put you and your child first.
Parental Rights in Kentucky
In Kentucky, a child’s parent must give up their parental rights to allow for adoption. An expecting mother can voluntarily give up these rights if she establishes an adoption plan with an adoption agency. However, Kentucky also requires birth parents to wait 72 hours after childbirth to consent to all adoptions.
Giving Up a Child for Adoption in Kentucky
If you want to give up your child for adoption, you can begin the process of doing so at any time before the child turns 18. This means during pregnancy, immediately after birth, or even while your child is a teenager, though any child age 12 or older must consent to their adoption. A lawyer can help you work through giving your child up for adoption.
How Kentucky Adoption Works
In Kentucky, any adult age 18 or older who has lived in Kentucky for at least one year can adopt children in Kentucky, except in the case of foster adoptions. Kentucky adoptions work as follows:
Adopting a Stepchild
If the courts determine that your stepchild's biological parent who isn’t your spouse has effectively abandoned the child, you may be able to adopt the child without that parent’s permission. Otherwise, you’ll need the biological parent’s consent.
Family adoption
Extended family members such as grandparents and siblings may be able to adopt their family members in Kentucky. For this adoption to occur, a judge would have to deem the biological parents negligent. Foster parenting or guardianship may be better options – Michele can help you decide.
Same-sex couple adoption
Same-sex couples can jointly adopt children in Kentucky, with one exception: Same-sex couples may not adopt stepchildren. Single LGBTQ+ people don’t have different limits for adoption than other Kentucky adults.
Foster parent
To be a foster parent, you must be 21 years of age or older. You can also adopt foster children without first becoming a foster parent, as long as you seek to adopt only foster children who are up for adoption.
In adoption matters, Michele Wilson Jones is on your side
Michele Wilson Jones is more than a lawyer. She’s a community leader who wants the best for everyone who calls McCreary County home. Don’t drive all the way to the big cities to find adoption lawyers – Michele is here, and she loves working with the community where she’s spent her whole life.
While the adoption process can be intimidating, Michele is anything but. She prides herself on balancing her legal knowledge with her compassionate, caring approach to sensitive family matters like adoption. Plus, you can just swing by our offices to speak with Michele whenever our doors are open. You don’t need an appointment, but it never hurts to make one – click below to schedule a no-obligation consultation and take the first step toward exactly the future you envision.
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