If you’re pregnant and considering adoption in Ohio, you may have questions about how the birth father of your baby fits in with your adoption plan. Questions like:

• “Does the birth father have to agree to adoption in order for me to place my baby with an adoptive family?”

• “Can a child be adopted without the father’s consent in Ohio?”

• “Could I move forward with adoption when the father is unknown?”

Know this: You’re not alone in having questions about birth father rights and how they can impact your adoption. In fact, American Adoptions receives questions regarding birth father adoption laws in Ohio quite often.

Whether he’s supportive, unknown, or unsupportive, it’s normal to be worried about if birth father rights in adoption can affect your ability to place your child with a loving family of your choice.

Situations involving the father of the baby can be very complex.

Any questions you have can be answered by calling 1-800-ADOPTION or filling out our free online form. An adoption professional will provide you with free information and guidance to better understand birth father rights, as well as any other benefits of adoption. Adoption professionals from American Adoptions can also help connect you to a local attorney, who may also help you better understand birth father adoption laws in Ohio.

While this article is not meant to be taken as legal advice, it can be helpful for understanding what to expect when moving forward. Any legal advice should be obtained by a licensed adoption attorney.

Below, you will find basic information about a birth father’s rights in adoption in Ohio.

Do You Need the Father’s Consent for Adoption in Ohio?

Whether a child can be put up for adoption without a father’s consent often depends on the relationship between him and the pregnant woman. Because each situation will be unique it is important that you contact our agency as soon as possible; we are familiar with birth father relationships and can help you understand what is possible for your adoption in Ohio.

Whatever your relationship with the baby’s father, we can help. American Adoptions has worked with birth mothers who were:

• Married to, or in a serious relationship with, the father of the baby they placed for adoption

• Mothers to older kids, who may share the same father or who may have other dads

• Separated from the birth father of their child, but still on good terms

• Unsure of who the biological father is

• Out of touch with the biological father

• In an unhealthy relationship with the father, and want their child to have a loving parental relationship to look up to

• In a relationship with a man who is not the birth father of their baby

We understand that relationships can be complicated. But prospective birth parents can have any kind of relationship as long as they have the same goal in mind — doing what you both feel is best for each other and your baby.

Can I Give My Child Up for Adoption Without the Father’s Consent?

Sometimes, a pregnant woman’s relationship with the baby’s father makes her unwilling to involve him in the adoption process. If you feel this best describes your relationship, you may come to us in this situation, wondering how to proceed with an adoption without a father. We are often asked, “Can a mother put a baby up for adoption without the father in Ohio?”

The short answer — sometimes. Here is why there is not a definite answer.

There are many birth fathers who are fully supportive and/or involved in the adoption process. In these cases, the birth father willingly provides his consent to the adoption. But in other situations, the birth father is unknown, uninvolved, or unsupportive. This is when many pregnant women consider adoption without the parental consent in Ohio.

If you’re wondering about giving baby up for adoption without father’s consent, you should first call 1-800-ADOPTION. By speaking to a professional, you can get the information needed to determine if pursuing adoption without the consent of the birth father is possible for your individual situation. Remember, calling our agency is always free, and adoption professionals are available to provide you with 24/7 support for all of your needs throughout your pregnancy.

With over 20 years of experience in handling different adoption situations, American Adoptions will guide you through your specific adoption process. As one of the largest domestic infant adoption agencies in the United States, our trained professionals are available to help educate you on the potential impact the birth father may have on your adoption.

While adoption without consent of the father in Ohio may be possible, it’s typically allowable on a case-by-case basis, so, call now to talk to us about your situation.

Talking to the Birth Father: The Best Way to Explain Your Decision

Many women wonder how to tell the father about an unplanned pregnancy — but, if you’ve decided that adoption is right for your baby, you may worry about bringing up this topic with the father, whatever your relationship is with him.

Talking to the birth father of your child about adoption can be tough, particularly if the two of you had an emotional past. However, giving a baby up for adoption without telling the father can introduce legal issues, so we encourage you to speak with an adoption professional or attorney before making any decisions.

Here are three different options for discussing this topic:

1. Talk to him in person or over the phone

Face-to-face or phone conversations should be done somewhere private and calm, so that you can fully explain yourself and listen to any concerns or questions he may have. Provide as much adoption information as possible, to not only show him you have done your research, but also to be able to educate him on the matter. While you’ll do a lot of the talking, remember that you’ll also need to be prepared to listen as he processes his own feelings.

If you like, you can welcome him to help with the details of your adoption plan, such as choosing adoptive parents for your child. You are in control of who is, or is not involved in your adoption plan.

2. Write a letter or email

If you’re worried you might get too emotional face-to-face or get away from the point over the phone, communicating your decision in a letter might be a good option for you. Again, be sure to include plenty of adoption information for him.

An adoption specialist from American adoptions would be more than happy to read the letter before you send it, to help make sure that you haven’t left anything out and that you’ve expressed yourself kindly and clearly. Your attorney may recommend you include information on his prospective birth father rights in adoption, should he wish to become involved, so that way he is also aware of his options during this process.

3. Speak through your adoption specialist or attorney

Not all relationships will be on speaking terms, and that is ok. If you feel that the conversation may fall into an argument, or don’t feel comfortable speaking with the father without the guidance of a professional, a mediated conversation may be best. This can help get you both moving in a positive direction as smoothly as possible.

There are some instances where telling the prospective birth father about your adoption plan is not required. If you think informing the birth father about your adoption plans is needed in your circumstances, please call 1-800-ADOPTION now to discuss what options are legally available to you.

Understanding Your Birth Father Rights in Adoption in Ohio

If you are the birth father that has been informed of an unplanned pregnancy, and the mother plans to place your child for adoption, it’s important to know your prospective birth father rights in adoption in Ohio, regardless of your situation. Below you will find some basic information on your rights as the birth father, but for the best information on your situation, we encourage you to speak with a local attorney.

If you support the mother’s plans for adoption, you may be able to be involved in the journey with her. The prospective birth mother may invite you to help create the adoption plan for your baby together, including choosing and getting to know your child’s future adoptive parents. It is completely possible that a father can put a child up for adoption in cooperation with the prospective birth mother successfully. In fact, it is common.

However, if you do not support the adoption plan, you do have certain rights. Your consent is required in order for an adoption to proceed in Ohio, unless:

• You fail to acknowledge paternity of the child with the court after being put on notice as the putative father within 30 days after the birth of the child.

• You are not, nor have you ever been married to the child’s mother.

• You have failed to communicate with or support the child for at least one year.

• The court believes you’re withholding consent unreasonably.

• Your failure to consent is due to prolonged absence or unavailability.

• The child was conceived by rape.

• You fail to object to the adoption within 14 days of a notice of a petition for adoption.

• The court believes that you’ve abandoned the child and the child’s mother.

If you believe that you are the biological father of a child being placed for adoption in Ohio, you may claim paternity through the Ohio Putative Father Registry and file to acknowledge paternity in court as soon as possible. Please speak with a local attorney for more information

Whether you’re a prospective birth mother or birth father, it’s important to be aware of a father’s rights in adoption in Ohio. You can always get more information on birth father rights by calling 1-800-ADOPTION and speaking with a specialist, or you can get more free adoption resources online.

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