How would you look up adoption laws, rights and processes?

Question

for a family member's sake, and shes not sure where to begin. im not sure either... shes in tennessee. any little information would help.

Answer 1

Adoption laws vary in every state and country, but especially in the case of domestic adoption, most laws address the same principles and requirements. These include legal necessity, agency preference, and birth parent preference but also include your own limitations as far as age of the child, financial obligations, gender, et cetera. The issues of advertising for adoption and the use of non-licensed adoption facilitators are two issues covered in most state bylaws.

Adoption Laws and Advertising

Advertising is one way for birth parents to locate a prospective family who would be willing and able to adopt their child. It’s also a way for hopeful parents to find someone who would like to place their child up for adoption. Unfortunately, this has been exploited in the past, resulting in child trafficking and other unlawful transactions. Because of this, the act of advertising for adoption purposes is heavily regulated in 26 states. This includes the use of any medium including print, radio, television, flyers, billboards and online by birth parents seeking adoptive parents for their baby or prospective parents looking for a child to adopt.

In some states—Alabama and Kentucky, for example—no advertising of any kind in relation to adoption is allowed. Twelve states have outlawed advertising for adoption purposes by anyone other than licensed adoption agencies or state agencies. Virginia is especially specific, barring any entity from even advertising referral services for adoption purposes.

Some states are more lenient, however. Connecticut allows both birth parents and prospective parents to advertise. Eight more states allow licensed agencies to advertise adoption services. Florida includes family law attorneys in that group, while Louisiana adds crisis pregnancy centers and Nebraska allows birth parents to join them. Most states are very specific and these laws may reach across state lines if the adoptive parents and birth parents live in different states.

Adoption Laws and Unlicensed Facilitators

Though it is legal in every state to place a child up for adoption and to adopt, some states require that this only happen through the agency of a licensed adoption facilitator. Private adoptions are also allowed, meaning the birth parents and adoptive parents come to an adoption agreement without the assistance of a licensed or state adoption agency. It is these private or independent adoptions that are heavily regulated in many states.

Specifically, many states do not allow unlicensed intermediaries to unite birth parents and adoptive parents in order to avoid child exploitation and trafficking. For example, Delaware and Kansas do not allow any unlicensed adoption agencies or intermediaries to facilitate an adoption. Other states are very specific in which unlicensed facilitators may place children for adoption and under what circumstances.

For Tennessee, you can checkout – Tennessee Code (1999), Sections 36-1-102 to 36-1-305

Answer 2

adoption.com is the best place to begin for any questions regarding adoption.  I would need more details as to what aspect of adoption you have questions about.

Answer 3

That's very vague, and to be able to help you better, you need to add additional information to your question.  What do you want to know about adoption laws?  Is your family member looking to adopt, or wants to place a child for adoption, or is your family member an adopted person wondering about what their rights are?  If the adoption has occurred, did it happen in Tennessee or if it has yet to happen, are you wondering what the current laws are in Tennessee?

Answer 4

If she's interested in international adoption, she can go to the State Department's website and look up the laws and procedures for that country.

If she's interested in private domestic adoption, then look up the laws in TN for that (you could Google the state and adoption laws).

If she's interested in adopting from foster care, then she can go the website for TN's child welfare system.  They will lay out all the hows and all for her there.

SG

Answer 5

For the law: Search your law library at county courthouse

                      Visit or call your representative and request info on that subject

    

Good Luck!