I don't think that it's the case in US,there's divorce on terms of abandonment but I'm not sure if there's stripping of parental rights.
Technically does Adam have parental rights? He is not on the birth certificate,so that would mean he has no rights to sign off?
No, when there is no parent on the BC, anyone has the right to petition the court for mandatory paternity test. Adam could demand a paternity to name him the babies father. But he still has basic rights to determine parentage.
What she has in her favor is that no one really wants to go through the hassle of paternity and whatnot.
My OH at the time was a slimeball and I knew if I didn't do anything for him, he wouldn't do anything for himself haha... 13 years later, I was right lol.
In the US, there is never a stripping of parental rights just because of abandonment (Except for safe haven laws - which we aren't discussing here either). Not all states have the 'single, unmarried parent' type abandonment laws, and those that do, the laws aren't to strip the rights just for the sake of it, but to facilitate custodial actions like adoptions, etc.
(Divorce abandonment would be a separate issue since there was a contractual "marriage" in place in those situations, and not in single parent situations.)
In my state, if OH did not make a concerted effort within one year to show good faith in care and concern of his offspring, my daughter could be considered as abandoned and the state could process an adoption without his authorization. But this designation did nothing for child support etc.
You'll have to talk to a lawyer Rae, and find out what the situation is in your province. One thing I know though is do NOT assume anything - even if it costs you a little $$.
Good luck hon. In my situation I got the information as an offensive NOT defensive tactic. I knew in our situation that the less I messed with 'him' the less he would mess with us. I was right. Hope this is the same for you.
