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Adoption
My husband and I raised our granddaughter from birth to age 15 and she now lives with her biological mother in another state....

My husband and I raised our granddaughter from birth to age 15 and she now lives with her biological mother in another state....

Q: Can a biological parent regain custody after adoption?

A biological parent can regain custody after an adoption only if the adoptive parents voluntarily relinquish their parental rights. The biological parent must then petition the court to have their rights reinstated. This process can be challenging and usually requires legal guidance.

Q: Can adopted child inherit from biological parent?

Generally, once an adoption is finalized, the adopted child loses the right to inherit from their biological parents. However, some states allow for specific exceptions, such as if the biological parent has not relinquished their rights. It's important to consult state laws for detailed inheritance rights.

Full question:

My husband and I raised our granddaughter from birth to age 15 and she now lives with her biological mother in another state. We legally adopted her but would now like to have her biological mother be responsible for her. Can an adoption be undone? We really can't afford a whole big expensive thing here, but would like to not be responsible for a teenager who lives in another state.

Category: Adoption
Date: 04/07/2025
State: Missouri

Answer:

Adoptions are generally not "reversible", as long as legal requirements were followed and there was no fraud, etc. The adoptive parents would need to voluntarily relinquish their parental rights and the biological parents would need to petition the court to have parental rights reinstated.

This content is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Legal statutes mentioned reflect the law at the time the content was written and may no longer be current. Always verify the latest version of the law before relying on it.

FAQs

Can adopted children go back to their biological parents after?

In most cases, once an adoption is finalized, the adopted child cannot return to their biological parents without a legal process. This typically involves the adoptive parents voluntarily relinquishing their parental rights, followed by the biological parents petitioning the court to have their rights reinstated. This process can be complex and may require legal assistance.

Can a biological parent regain custody after adoption?

What is an adoption reversal?

An adoption reversal refers to the legal process of undoing an adoption, which typically involves the adoptive parents relinquishing their rights and the biological parents seeking to regain theirs. However, reversals are not straightforward and are only possible under specific circumstances, such as mutual agreement and court approval.