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Journal Article This article addresses the issue of the basis and nature of an unwed biological father's right to block or reverse an adoption decision of an unwed mother. The author begins by reviewing the historical development of the legal status of unwed fathers under common law and United States constitutional law and discussing State statutory and case law concerning unwed fathers and adoption. Although the U.S. Supreme Court has found that unwed fathers who have established and maintained a relationship with their children have some protection under the Constitution, there is great variation among…
This final report presents information on the outcomes and accomplishments of the African American Male Adoption Project, which used an innovative approach to find adoptive homes for African American boys in Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN. The report describes the accomplishments of the project, including the development of specialized and ongoing family recruitment strategies, such as announcing the project in church bulletins, airing radio public service announcements, providing materials at African American community events, and compiling photo albums of targeted children. Other activies…
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Journal Article This law review describes the adoption cases of legal battles between birth fathers and adoptive parents. The author notes that these cases illustrate the tension in the independent adoption laws among the constitutionally protected rights of birth fathers; the tenuous rights of adoptive parents; and the concept of the "best interest of the child." The law review explores the relationship in California among independent adoption laws, the rights of birth fathers, and considerations of the best interests of the child, as they are contained in the California Family Code and developed in case…
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Journal Article This article reviews the United States Supreme Court decisions that established a liberty interest in the relationship between parents and their children. Next, it examines the background of Supreme Court decisions that established the parameters of the liberty interest which may exist between an unwed father and his child in adoption proceedings. Within this context, the article discusses the structure of the Illinois Adoption Act as it existed at the time the Illinois Supreme Court invalidated Baby Richard's adoption in the Baby Richard case. The article then discusses the facts of the case…
