Can an adoption be reversed to transfer parental responsibility?

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:
  • State: Missouri

Answer:

Adoptions are generally not reversible if all legal requirements were met and there was no fraud. To transfer parental responsibility, the adoptive parents must voluntarily relinquish their parental rights. Then, the biological parents need to petition the court to have their 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

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.