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Speak Up! - View Question #642 |
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Question: My father wants to give up his parental rights, can he do that, and can my mom still get child support from him?
Answer: A father cannot give up his parental rights all by himself. He has a duty to support
and to "parent" his child. He can agree to allow someone else to adopt
his child if that person is willing to do so. He can lose his parental rights
if he does certain things, i.e. neglects the child, abandons it, is unable to
parent the child because he is mentally ill or in prison for a very long time,
etc.
If a person adopts the child, or if his rights are terminated, the parent no
longer is responsible for current child support. He would still have to pay
back child support, which is child support he was supposed to pay for the months
before the termination.
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