Opinion ID: 1717373
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Status of Initial Consent

Text: Prior to 1947, Missouri required continuing consent to adoption. In 1947, the statute was revised to state the written consent to adoption by any parent, shall be valid and effectual even though such parent was under the age of twenty-one years at the time of the execution thereof, and any such waiver or consent shall be irrevocable without leave of the court having jurisdiction of the child given at a hearing, notice of which has been given to all interested parties.  § 453.050. In 1985, the italicized provision was omitted from § 453.050. Two court of appeals' cases, decided since the 1985 amendment, have suggested that the Adoption Code still gives the court having jurisdiction of the child the discretionary power and responsibility of determining whether consent should be revoked. In re Adoption of R.V.H., 824 S.W.2d 28, 30 (Mo.App.1991); In re Adoption of ADA, 789 S.W.2d 842, 844 (Mo.App.1990). We will assume, without deciding, that the Adoption Code permits the withdrawal or revocation of consent in certain limited circumstances. The circuit court below concluded that the natural parent's consent to adoption given by Peggy was initially valid. This conclusion was supported by the factual record below. The court failed, however, to take into account the legal consequences that may result from a finding that both the prospective adoptive parents and the natural parent violated the terms of the Compact, of which Missouri and Arkansas are members. Section 210.620. The record below suggests that the terms of the Compact were not met. [9] If so, Article IV of the Compact provides: The sending, bringing, or causing to be sent or brought into any receiving state of a child in violation of the terms of this compact shall constitute a violation of the laws respecting the placement of children of both the state in which the sending agency is located or from which it sends or brings the child and of the receiving state. Such violation may be punished or subjected to penalty in either jurisdiction in accordance with its laws. In addition to liability for any such punishment or penalty, any such violation shall constitute full and sufficient grounds for the suspension or revocation of any license, permit or other legal authorization held by the sending agency which empowers or allows it to place, or care for children. The Supreme Court of Montana equated a parent's consent with legal authorization and used this provision to revoke a consent given by a natural mother to the termination of her parental rights and the adoption of her child. In the Matter of T.M.M., 186 Mont. 460, 608 P.2d 130, 134 (1980). This Court has been unable to find any other reported decisions that used Article IV as a basis to revoke a consent given by the natural mother. We believe, however, that this may be a proper remedy or sanction in appropriate circumstances. While the state has a profound interest in providing a mechanism for the adoption of children whose parents are unable or unwilling to care for them by persons who desire that responsibility, it has an equally significant interest in regulating adoptions in order to protect the interests of the child and to prevent the black market trade of children. In re Adoption of No. 10087, 324 Md. 394, 597 A.2d 456, 460 (1991). The Compact, like § 453.110.1, helps protect those interests. If all the parties involved with an adoption are aware that their actions may cause the revocation of a natural parent's consent, then they will be discouraged from circumventing the law. [10] While we agree with the Supreme Court of Montana that revocation of a consent may be justified, the statute does not establish a per se rule. Instead, the statute provides that any such violation shall constitute full and sufficient grounds for the suspension or revocation of any license, or permit, or other legal authorization held by the sending agency which empowers or allows it to place, or care for children. We believe this language allows the trial court discretion to enter an order as to the continuing validity of a consent and the custody of the child that it finds just in light of the facts and circumstances of the case before it. Again, at the pinnacle of the court's decision must be the child's best interests, not the interests of the other parties or even public policy. These matters must be determined on a case-by-case basis. Revocation of consent based merely on Compact noncompliance could produce a potentially harsh result that may be contrary to the child's best interests. [11]