The Florida Supreme Court ruled last Thursday that adoption agencies must notify unmarried men when a child thought to be theirs is being placed for adoption. The ruling comes in the wake of a long court case involving an unmarried man who is trying to restore is parental rights for a boy who was born in August, 2005.

"The court's opinion says men believed to be a child's biological father must be notified of the mother's adoption plan, and that he has 30 days to file a paternity claim with the Putative Father Registry. If he does not file a claim with the registry, his parental rights may be terminated, the opinion states."

The Registry was created in 2003 to prevent birth fathers from contesting adoptions months or years after the adoption had been finalized. Heart of Adoptions, Inc. attorney Jeanne Tate called the ruling a "victory", stating that it will create more "certainty and stability" in the adoption process. Read more at ChronicleOnline.com.

Mount Bachelor Academy is a therapeutic boarding school for teens dealing with emotions related to adoption, grief, and loss. Learn more about their program for adopted teens at MTBA.com.

Labels: adoption rights, biological_parents, fathers