Termination of Parental Rights

While parental rights can be terminated, it’s not an easy or cut-and-dry process. The parent-child relationship is considered so fundamental in our society that parental rights are some of the most protected rights we have. Courts will generally only approve the termination rights when it’s the best interest of the child to do so. A parent voluntarily relinquish his or her rights but not for any reason. Typically this occurs in connection with the concurrent adoption of a child by someone else usually a stepparent. A parent can’t simply terminate his or her rights in order to get out of paying child support because it’s generally considered not to be in the child’s best interests to have one less parent and less financial support. Parental rights can also be involuntarily terminated by a court usually because of some sort of abuse, abandonment or other reason it would be better for the child that the parent’s rights be terminated. If you believe terminating a parent’s rights is in the best interests of the child you know or you are facing the termination of your own parental rights, contact the family law lawyer in your area to discuss your legal options.