Adoption Law FAQ's

Under Michigan law an adoption of a child means the child is legally the child of the adoptive parents. The same rights apply as if the child was born biologically to the parents.

As the legal parents of the child the parents have all rights to the child including making medical decisions, decisions on the child's religious upbringing, and also have the legal duty as parents to see the child is cared for.

The child also has the rights to inherit from the parents just as a biological child would.

Adoption is available to single persons and married persons. However an unmarried couple cannot adopt a child together as a married couple would.

If the mother is a minor only one legal parent of the mother must consent. The mother may then relinquish rights voluntarily and place the child with a married couple. This is in direct-placement adoption. Otherwise the parent's rights can be terminated involuntarily just as if the birth parent were an adult.

This is a study of the home by a social worker duly licensed. The home study examines the adopting parent's psychological well being and financial ability to care for the child. It is extensive but clients should not feel a sense of invasion of privacy. At Williams Law Offices we never have encountered a situation where the home study does not recommend adoption. This is because we take only cases where we believe the adoption will be successful.

Yes. Also the new birth certificate will list you, the adoptive parents, as the parents.

This is a registry maintained by the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS). It keeps the record of statements that either consent or deny consent to release statements about a Michigan adoption. The statements are available via court order or to an adoption agency. The court or adoption agency decides if it is appropriate to release "identifying information", that is the identity of the former family. Click Here to Learn More

In direct placement the issue of closed where the adoptive parents have no knowledge or contact with the biological parents or open when there is continued contact is an issue the parties agree on. In direct placement the birth parents select the adoptive family. A middle ground is possible sometimes called semi-open adoption. This allows some contact with the biological parents including medical history and some contact usually facilitated through the adoption attorney or adoption agency.

This is such an important issue and the answer is simple. It should be left to the parent's (biological or adoptive).

An out of court consent can be done 72 hours after the birth.

An out of court consent is a procedure conducted in an adoption attorney's office. It makes the process faster than to wait for a hearing for consent to be given in open court.

The birth mother has twenty-one (21) days to revoke her consent under Michigan law and under the law of most states.

"Parent, step-parent, grandparent, step-grandparent, brother, step-sister, step-sister, uncle, step-uncle, aunt, step-aunt, first cousin, step-first cousin, great-aunt, stepgreat aunt, great-uncle, step-great uncle, great-grandparent, step-great grandparent, first cousin once removed, step-first cousin once removed, great-great-grandparent, step-great great-grandparent, great-great-uncle, step-great-great-uncle, great-great-aunt, step-great-great-aunt, great-great-greatgrandparent, or step-great-great-great-grandparent"

Courtesy of https://www.michigan.gov/documents/dhs/DHS-PUB-0823_221566_7.pdf