Des Moines Adoption Attorneys

Helping Prospective Parents over the Legal Hurdles

For prospective parents, adoption can be a long and frustrating process. At any time, your joyful anticipation can suffer devastating disappointment. At Hope Law Firm, we provide adoptive parents with skilled legal services in a warm, supportive environment. Although most of our work is in stepparent and grandparent adoptions, we also help with domestic adoptions of all types, including private agency adoptions, foster care adoptions, and open adoptions.

Our knowledge and experience help to ensure that your adoption is completely legal and can survive any challenge to your parental rights. In adoption, as in so many other family law areas, our firm provides help when you most need it.

Contact us online or call (515) 298-5056 to request a free initial consultation with our Des Moines adoption attorneys.

Stepparent Adoptions Give Legal Protection to Blended Families

Single parents who marry face challenges in forming a blended family. Even if the new spouse is childless, it’s hard to develop a feeling of family unity when there’s a clear distinction between the rights and responsibilities of the biological parent and the stepparent.

By adopting their stepchild, a stepparent:

• Has the legal right to participate in decisions regarding the health and welfare of the child
• Provides the adopted child with greater security and sense of belonging
• Grants the adopted child standing to inheritance equal to that of the stepparent’s biological children
• Will have rights to custody and/or visitation in the event of divorce

However, adoptive parents incur permanent responsibilities and are liable for support until the child reaches maturity.

Terminating Parental Rights in Iowa to Facilitate Adoptions

A child in Iowa can only have two legal parents. That is why in many cases, it is necessary to have a noncustodial parent renounce parental rights so that an adoption can go through. It is possible that a parent who does not have an emotional attachment to the child might voluntarily give up parental rights to be relieved of support obligations. In cases where the parent refuses, the custodial parent can go to court for an order terminating the noncustodial parent’s rights.

It is not enough to show that the child would be better off with a new parent(s). Before terminating parental rights, the court requires evidence that contact with that parent is detrimental to the child. Evidence that the parent has been abusive, has substance abuse problems, has abandoned the child, or has failed to provide support, combined with the fact that a loving and responsible adult is ready to adopt, can sway the court to terminate parental rights in the best interest of the child.