If you believe she doesn’t know the father of the baby, and you’re not sure if it’s you, share this with your adoption coordinator and they can help you through the process. We can put you in touch with an attorney that will be able to answer those questions at no charge for you.

State laws vary, but all states provide a method for placing a child for adoption if the father is unknown or unable to be located. However, if you believe you have fathered a child or potentially could have fathered a child, it is your responsibility to follow up and play an active role if you want to assert your role as the child’s father.

There are times, say when a child is the result of a one-night-stand, where each partner may only have shared minimal personal details, like last name, phone number, etc. In this case, the mother will share all the information she has with an attorney, who will follow the state law in the matter.

If you want to assert your rights, look into if your state has a Birth Father Registry or a Putative Father Registry that you can sign up for with the information you have, such as mother’s name (even if only a partial name), approximate date of sexual encounter, location of encounter, etc. This way you can ensure you are contacted if a child with an unknown father is listed to be placed for adoption.

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