That's the message child advocates want to get out after a newborn boy was abandoned beside a Magnolia sidewalk two days ago. That's what's so sad about these babies being left on the street. Even girls under 18 can contact an adoption agency or the state Department of Social and Health Services and arrange to give up a baby without needing their parents' permission, Kuipers said.
Most parents are rather shocked to find that out.
All medical costs are covered by the agency as well. A girl under 18 is also required to speak to a volunteer court advocate called a guardian ad litem to ensure she understands her legal rights. But she is not required to appear at any court hearings. The father of the baby also must be notified of the birth and relinquish his legal rights. If the identity of the father is not known, legal notification of the baby's birth, using the mother's last name, must be published in a newspaper.