This whole thing just....

[lucky]

ticks me off:

first story:
[a href=http://miva.sctimes.com/miva/cgi-bin/miva?CMN/Local/read_archive.mv+1+9+20]A battle over the rights of a father[/a]

and the second story:
[a href=http://miva.sctimes.com/miva/cgi-bin/miva?CMN/Local/read.mv+20031201035534+3+]Father loses legal battle[/a]

30 days isn't enough and the fact that an adoption agency counseled this girl to NOT put the father's name on the birth certificate just burns me.  That counselor needs to be fired and the state needs to sanction that agency if at all possible.

[kiddosmom]

Granted, there were things done wrong in this case.
I though am looking at the fathers behavior after the fact, He had all the access he wanted to visit, take pictures, participate in his little girls life, but he did nothing.
We have people on our site that have not seen their child(ren) in 10+ yrs and still fight to do so.
He has sonogram (sp?) pictures of his daughter and one of after her birth,, IMHO I would be there as often as possible and let the little girl know daddy loved her.

[lucky]

in general -- how many pbfh's are there that WILL use this law to exclude the father from a decision (IMO) he has an equal right to make?

How many other states limit it to 30 days or less?  Shouldn't women be forced to name the possible father(s) prior to putting the child up for adoption just as they are required to do if they receive welfare benefits and the state wants their share back?

You are right, he isn't upholding his end now.  But he may have reasons for how he is handling it now.  However, that doesn't negate the impact of this on future fathers that are excluded from their children's lives because the mother deliberately omits their name from the birth certificate and other paperwork.

[kiddosmom]

playing devils advocate here- what if there was no deadline to give up the rights when adopting?
the adoptive parents can take care of a child for 10 years and the parents come back and say they are now mature enough to raise that child,,, is that fair either?

[em]There should be exceptions to every Law.[/em]
ie: if he could prove he did not know were the mother was.
He stated he believed she was with family in st something or other,, why did he not go there to find out anything?

There are things he could have done and didn't.