If the identity or the whereabouts of the birthfather is unknown, the court can order the birthfather be notified of the pending adoption proceedings by publication. If the birthfather fails to respond to the publication notice, the court will terminate the birthfather's parental rights. Sometimes a birthfather files an objection to the adoption. Maryland statutory and case law provide the outline for the resolution of a contested adoption, which is beyond the scope of this website. Adopting parents, during their initial contacts with the birthmother, should determine the likelihood the birthfather will object to the adoption, and avoid adoptions which they anticipate will be contested.
Many independent adoptions are stepparent adoptions.
Typically, the birthparents are divorced, the custodial parent has remarried, and the custodial parent's spouse seeks to adopt his or her stepchild. The adoption terminates the parental rights of the non-custodial birthparent as well as that birthparent's child support obligation. This is frequently the case in a stepparent adoption. The court may appoint an attorney to represent a child old enough to consent to adoption. The child's name can also be changed in the course of a stepparent adoption.