If a biological parent of a child is still living, Utah adoption law requires that before adopting that child you must either obtain the consent of the parent(s) or successfully petition the court to terminate the parental rights of one or both parents. Our Utah adoption attorneys are ready to help you through these sometimes complex legal process to help ensure that your adoption will be successful. Contact us today to see how the right attorney can help you.
Common grounds for terminating a person’s parental rights in Utah include:
- abandonment of the child;
- abuse or neglect of the child;
- the parent is unfit or incompetent;
- failure of parental adjustment;
- only token efforts have been made to support or communicate with the child
Terminating another person’s parental rights is sometimes necessary in step-parent adoptions, grandparent adoptions, and even in traditional agency adoptions. In cases of abandonment by a biological parent, there may be little or no opposition to a petition to terminate parental rights. But in other cases, the petition is vigorously opposed. The process can be complicated, and even the initial decision of whether to file in the juvenile court or district court can have a significant impact on the case.
Our adoption attorneys are ready to help you. Contact us now to see the difference the right attorney can make.