What are My Rights as a Birth Mother in Colorado?
Placing your child up for adoption is definitely a mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional process, but it contains a more legal side as well. It’s important to be aware of these rights, as they can vary from state to state, and sometimes agency to agency. However, as our adoption agency is located in Golden and Colorado Springs, we will be focusing on your rights as a birth mother in Colorado.
Here at Adoption Choices of Colorado, we aim to make sure that you know all of your rights and duties as a birth mother, and hope to help you as you embark on one of the biggest decisions of your life.
Your Right to Have a Say in Your Adoption Journey
Decades ago, pregnant women and prospective birth mothers had no control over their adoption journey. They were sent away to have their babies in private, and then told to return to everyday lives as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. None of them ever learned what became of their children, or who he or she went to.
Fortunately, the adoption process has changed for the better over the past few years. You now have full control over your adoption journey and the decisions made within it. You get to choose your child’s adoptive parents and what type of adoption you want. You get to create a birth plan that details what you’d like your hospital experience to be like.
When you choose to place your baby for adoption through our Colorado adoption agency, this is exactly what you can expect. You have a say over what happens in the adoption process and your adoption journey overall. You are assigned an adoption caseworker, who helps you determine what’s best for you and your child and supports you every step of the way. Nothing happens without your consent anymore, giving you peace of mind and confidence that you’re making the right decision.
Your Right to Have Contact with the Adoptive Family
Selecting who your child will go home with after he or she is born is perhaps one the most important decisions you’ll make in the adoption process. But, as a soon-to-be birth mother, you have the right to handpick who you want that to be. Your adoption caseworker will provide you with prospective adoptive parent profiles who meet any previously discussed preferences to the best of our ability, and offer you glimpses of what opportunities each family can give your child.
If getting to know the adoptive family and maintaining contact with them post adoption is important to you, this can be arranged. Depending on what type of adoption you want, you can define how involved you want to be with them and your child after the adoption has been finalized. You can also have the opportunity to meet with the adoptive parents during the adoption process, learn more about them as people and establish a strong, healthy relationship with them.
Your Rights when Completing the Relinquishment Paperwork
When it comes time to relinquishing your parental rights, it’s important for you to know more about how this process works. For instance, if you’re married, your husband will automatically be considered the father and has to give his consent for the child to be placed for adoption. If you’re unmarried, on the other hand, the supposed birth father would have to prove his paternity and sign away his parental rights as well for the adoption to continue.
In the case of the birth father being unknown, however, our adoption agency will do our due diligence in locating him. If he does not surface in the time allotted by the state, his signature is not needed and your adoption journey may continue to finalization without him.
To learn more about this, or if you have any questions or concerns regarding your specific circumstances, be sure to consult with your adoption caseworker.
Your Rights as a Birth Mother in Colorado
The most important thing to remember is that your parental rights as the child’s birth mother do not automatically end once you’ve begun the adoption process. There are options out there for both you and the child, and, ultimately, it will be your decision that makes the differences in both of your lives. Until the adoption process is completely finalized, it is your biological right to weigh your options and have a say in what happens.
If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy and want to learn more about your adoption options, contact Adoption Choices of Colorado by email, phone, or text: Email Us, Text us: 720-371-1099, Call us: 303-670-4673 (HOPE). If you are hoping to adopt, please contact us here.
Meet the Author: Timothy “Blake” Donohoo is a writer with a myriad of experience in various mediums and formats under his belt. With over two years’ worth of writing obituaries for marketing firms, consumer products groups, and the entertainment industry, Blake has both an informative tongue and a sharp wit that continually educates and entertains, gluing the eyes of an entire spectrum of readers.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he received his BA in Communication, Blake has in the past written for healthcare publications such as Chattanooga’s True North Custom as well as Catholic Health Initiatives. Blake continues to write exciting content for CBR.com, where he regularly waxes philosophical concerning the goings on of the comic book, film, television, anime and video game industries.
Stephanie joined the Adoption Choices family in 2014 as the Child Placement Supervisor. Her love for adoption began in first grade when she made friends with twins adopted from Vietnam. Her heart grew strong over the years for adopted children and ultimately led her to graduate school where she continued her focus to her dream of working in the adoption field. Stephanie earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver in 2001. Over the past 15 years, Stephanie has worked as a pregnancy counselor and as an adoptive parent counselor for foster care, international adoption and domestic adoption, writing hundreds of home studies for families, and helping build their forever families. Stephanie is married and has three boys ages 12, 9, and 5. Together with her family she enjoys riding bike, playing games, watching her three sons compete in their various sporting and musical activities and go on vacations.
Christy Ikeler, is our Executive Director and Birth Parent Director. Christy has been with Adoption Choices Team for 18 years, since opening the doors in 2002! Christy has a true passion for what she does and her true love is working with and helping each birth parent. Whether she is up all night on the phone talking with them, taking them to doctors appointments, out for their favorite treat, providing counseling or at the hospital during labor and delivery, Christy is very involved every step of the way. She has a contagious laugh and a spunky personality that our birth moms all can bond with and relate to. As an adoptive parent herself, adoption holds a very special place in her heart and she can relate on every level with both birth parents and adoptive parents. In her free time Christy loves spending time with her daughter, gardening, baking and taking vacations with her family. Christy is an excellent leader for our team at Adoption Choices and is truly one of a kind!! As Executive Director, Christy spends time with the staff, birth parents and adoptive families in order to ensure that the agency is running smoothly. She has placed a huge emphasis on community outreach and programs for birth parents. Christy loves the opportunity to lead the agency into a brighter future.
Ms. Mackenzie has built a successful counseling career over the past 20 years, supporting mothers and families, people of all ages and genders, students, community professionals and fellow clinicians. Liv values a diverse professional focus, including the entrepreneurial life of a sole proprietor, the evaluative process of certifying foster/adoptive homes, the insightful and mindful one-on-one one work with enthusiastic clients, and serving as an advocate for underserved populations. Liv is a Licensed Professional Counselor and holds a BA in Pre-Law and Economics from American University, an MA in Counseling from Adams University and a certificate in Human Resource Management from Villanova University. Away from work you will find Liv spending time in nature, biking to the farmer’s market and adventuring with her family.
Catherine A. Madsen, joined the Adoption Choices family as legal counsel in 2013. Catherine is responsible for providing legal guidance to the Agency, training and updating staff on developments in adoption law and legislation, and program development. Catherine
Virginia Frank is an adoption attorney accredited since 1991 with the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. Ms. Frank is a leader in the field of private adoption and has completed over 4,000 adoptions in her career. Ms. Frank has a law degree from Oklahoma City University and a BA in both Political Science and Communications from the University of Oklahoma.
Cassidie has been with Adoption Choices since 2015, she has her bachelors in Interdisciplinary Affairs with concentrations in both Sociology and Business Management. Cassidie has additional training in Victim Advocacy, foster care and has been working in women’s services for over 10 years. Cassidie has always had a heart for adoption and it was her career dream to work in adoption. She started off doing volunteer work for advocacy programs, adoption organizations and worked in High Risk Maternal Fetal Medicine through the University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Colorado. Cassidie is also blessed to have personally experienced an adoption of her own in 2012, completing her family of five! Cassidie loves what she does as a case worker from initial phone calls, meetings, doctor appointments, interaction with the adoptive families to delivery and counseling. Cassidie has a passion for those in need and strives to help make a difference in the lives of the people she meets. She is a firm believer in being kind, compassionate and open minded in all situations. “Unless you’ve walked in their shoes, there’s no place for judgment. A kind word or compliment can go a long way!” The bittersweet moments in adoption reminds Cassidie each and every time, why she loves what she does!