Mississippi Code 1972 (2023) › Title 93 - DOMESTIC RELATIONS (§§ 93-1-1 — 93-31-7) › Chapter 15 - MISSISSIPPI TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS LAW (§§ 93-15-NEW — 93-15-133) › Section 93-15-103 - Definitions

For purposes of this chapter, unless a different meaning is plainly expressed by the context, the following definitions apply:
(a)
"Abandonment" means any conduct by the parent, whether consisting of a single incident or actions over an extended period of time, that evinces a settled purpose to relinquish all parental claims and responsibilities to the child. Abandonment may be established by showing:
(i)
For a child who is under three (3) years of age on the date that the petition for termination of parental rights was filed, that the parent has deliberately made no contact with the child for six (6) months;
(ii)
For a child who is three (3) years of age or older on the date that the petition for termination of parental rights was filed, that the parent has deliberately made no contact with the child for at least one (1) year;
(iii)
If the child is under six (6) years of age, that the parent has exposed the child in any highway, street, field, outhouse, or elsewhere with the intent to wholly abandon the child; or
(iv)
If the parent gives possession of the child to an emergency medical services provider pursuant to Sections
43-15-201
et seq.
(b)
"Child" means a person under eighteen (18) years of age.
(c)
"Court" means the court having jurisdiction under the Mississippi Termination of Parental Rights Law.
(d)
"Desertion" means:
(i)
Any conduct by the parent over an extended period of time that demonstrates a willful neglect or refusal to provide for the support and maintenance of the child; or
(ii)
That the parent has not demonstrated, within a reasonable period of time after the birth of the child, a full commitment to the responsibilities of parenthood.
(e)
"Home" means any charitable or religious corporation or organization or the superintendent or head of the charitable or religious corporation or organization organized under the laws of the State of Mississippi, any public authority to which has been granted the power to provide care for or procure the adoption of children by any Mississippi statute, and any association or institution engaged in placing children for adoption on July 1, 1955.
(f)
"Interested person" means any person related to the child by consanguinity or affinity, a custodian or legal guardian of the child, a guardian ad litem representing the child's best interests, or an attorney representing the child's preferences under Rule 13 of the Uniform Rules of Youth Court Practice.
(g)
"Minor parent" means any parent under twenty-one (21) years of age.
(h)
"Parent" means a natural or adoptive parent of the child.
(i)
"Permanency outcome" means achieving a permanent or long-term custodial arrangement for the custody and care of the child that ends the supervision of the Department of Child Protection Services.
(j)
"Qualified health professional" means a licensed or certified professional who is engaged in the delivery of health services and who meets all applicable federal or state requirements to provide professional services.
(k)
"Qualified mental health professional" means a person with at least a master's degree in mental health or a related field and who has either a professional license or a Department of Mental Health credential as a mental health therapist.
(l)
"Reunification" means the restoration of the parent's custodial rights in providing for the safety and welfare of the child which ends the supervision of the Department of Child Protection Services.
Amended by Laws, 2023, ch. 518, HB 1318,§ 7, eff. 4/19/2023.
Amended by Laws, 2017, ch. 372, SB 2342, 1, eff. 3/20/2017.
Added by Laws, 2016, ch. 431, HB 1240, 3, eff. 4/18/2016.
Former §§ 93-15-103 through 93-15-111 were repealed by Laws, 2016, ch. 431, HB 1240,§ 23, eff. 4/18/2016.