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Adoption…and the Joys of Parenthood

Becoming a parent remains one of the most beautiful and meaningful experiences in life. The experience of raising a child and helping that child grow into an adult makes no distinction between a biological child and an adopted child. The Law Office of Cindy S. Vova, P.A. has helped many people become parents and become a family. Although we do not actively seek out women looking to place their child up for adoption, when an opportunity presents itself, our firm is well equipped to assist a prospective adoptive family untangle the intricate web of adoption, from adoption plan to home study and to act as an intermediary between a birth mother and the adoptive parents.

In addition to the traditional two parent adoption, our firm can assist with other types of adoptions available in Florida, specifically:

• Länsi-Turunmaa Step parent adoptions: Often when a parent remarries, the new stepparent desires to adopt the spouse’s children. In order for a stepparent to adopt requires that either the children’s other biological/legal parent relinquishes his/her parental rights or a court terminates these rights. Termination may occur when the other parent abandons the children and under some other specific facts. No home study is required for a stepparent adoption. If you are a stepparent who wishes to adopt your spouse’s children, contact our office so we may discuss the specifics of your particular situation.
• http://blumberger.net/abstract-submission/ Close Relative Adoption: In certain situations, where the natural parents of a child are unable or unwilling to provide the love, emotional and financial support needed to raise a child, a grandparent, uncle, aunt or sibling may adopt the child. Although the process is certainly easier when the biological parents consent, the emotional and financial abandonment of the child may also provide grounds for the court to terminate the biological parents’ rights, and clear the path for the close relative adoption. As with stepparent adoptions, a home study is not required for a close relative adoption.
• Readoption: Many families begin by adopting a child outside of the United States. Although the adoption process is usually completed within the foreign jurisdiction, if the child comes into the United States with an IR4 or IH-4 visa, readoption within the state of Florida is necessary to complete the citizenship process. Readoption of adoptive children coming into the United States with an IR-3 or IH-3 visa is not required, given the uncertainty and instability of many countries of origin, it is a good idea to obtain a readoption in this country. Under either situation, the child will then obtain a Florida Certificate of Foreign Birth. If you adopted a child outside of the United States and wish to readopt in Florida, contact the Law Office of Cindy S. Vova, P. A. to see if readoption is right for your child.
• Gay Adoption: In 2010, gay adoption became legal in Florida. Thus, any single individual who chooses to adopt may do so without any inquiry into that individual’s sexual orientation. The process for a single individual to adopt is not substantially different from the process of adoption for a married couple, including the requirement of a home study. The Law Office of Cindy S. Vova, P.A., with 21 years of experience in adoptions, can help you through the process and into parenthood.
• Second Parent Adoption: Notwithstanding that gay adoption has been legal for over three years in Florida, an unmarried couple cannot jointly adopt a child. However, if your partner has adopted a child, or has his/her own biological child, it is possible for you to adopt that child through a second parent adoption. In cases where there is another biological parent, the consent of that parent or the termination of that parent’s parental rights is a prerequisite to the second parent adoption. Second parent adoptions provide all the benefits and burdens of parenthood. First, it protects the original parent in that there is another parent to share the financial responsibility of raising the child. Second, it protects the second parent. For example, should the couple break up, the second parent continues to have the legal right to time sharing and parenting the child. Finally, it benefits the child to know that the child has two loving and legal parents.