pregnant teen considering adoption

[jmc252608]

Jurisdiction

Michigan

My daughter came to me and told me that she is pregnant. She just turned 15. She has a GPA of 3.0. She's active in sports. She plans on going to college to further her education. She is confused on what to do and so am I. As a parent for my pregnant child all I can do is guide her through all this. I'm not happy at all. I have experienced both abortion and adoption. My daughter would rather go with the adoption. My concern is the father and his parents. I brought up the possible adoption and they automatically said they want to adopt it. I, however, am against that for the simple fact that the father of this baby has come to me with concerns about stress within that household. I have been over there a couple time and the place is a mess. His mother doesn't have control of her own kids. I do have a fantastic family for this child should it be born. A family that is more stable for this child. I guess what I want to know is my legal right to my child, her unborn baby and adopting it to the fantastic family that I know will take excellent care of this child.

 

[army judge]

I suggest you forget trying to help your child by involving others you know in the adoption.

Anyway, the Michigan State Bar Association has an excellent comprehensive pamphlet on "unmarried teen mom adoptions":

https://www.michbar.org/file/programs/pdfs/thelaw.pdf


The parental rights are 100% with the unmarried birth mother.
Unmarried males have ZERO parental rights in a fetus, and ZERO parental rights in the baby.

Unmarried males must go to court after the baby's born in an attempt to establish paternity and obtain parental rights.

I suggest you keep your daughter away from the boy, and see that she receives mental health counseling. Tough times are ahead for your child, ma'am, regardless of what is decided.

 

[ElleMD]

Ditto on the counseling. In fact, I would not make any plans until after she and preferably the whole family, have spent some time with a counselor. Then, should termination of the pregnancy not happen, you really need to consult with a family law lawyer about options. Whether she/you raise the baby or go the adoption route, she/you will need to know what to expect. Many lawyers do an initial consult for free. Or, check with local law school clinics or legal aid offices.