Traditional Adoption:

In Arkansas, a birth mother may relinquish her parental rights before the birth of the child. Following birth, she has 10 days to unconditionally withdraw her adoption consent. When the court order is filed on day 11, the adoption is final, meaning the birth mother can no longer revoke her consent unless she can prove she was tricked by fraud or deceit. In many states, there is a longer waiting period and the final order of adoption is not entered for 30, 60 or 90 days. The adoption may be completed in Arkansas if either the birth mother or the adopting parents are residents. The birth father is required to register with the state of Arkansas prior to the filing of the petition for adoption. Otherwise, he has no rights and is therefore not entitled to notice or sign an adoption consent. If the birth mother is married, written consent from the husband is required. The 10-day waiting period begins the day following birth, or the day after the consent to adopt was signed, whichever occurs last. While the 10 days are calendar days, the 10th day cannot occur on a day the courthouse is closed (i.e., weekends or holidays). In such cases, the next business day would be considered the 10th day, and the adoption may occur on the following day. During the 10 days, the baby will stay with you, but may not be removed from the state of Arkansas.

Step-parent Adoption:

Step-parents may adopt the children of their spouse taking on the legal and financial responsibilities of the children’s natural parent. The biological parent will be notified of the hearing on the matter and will have an opportunity to contest the matter. In some situations, it is not necessary to provide notice to the biological parent, such as in the case of abandonment which is defined by the court as a lack of significant contact or support for a year or more.