ok well i've made my decision....i've thought long and hard for obviously a really long time and now have decided to go ahead and terminate my rights as my daughters father. the main reason for me doing this is yes she will have better medical care and now i have seen how happy she looks with her new dad and i can see that he loves her and she loves him and all i really want for my daughter is for her to be happy. it hurts to say it cause i am her father and would love to be in her life but i don't know where she is now and i probably won't see her ever again. so now my question is how can i terminate my rights as her father without having to pay attorney fees? i would like to do this without having to pay a lot of money cause well i just don't have money for an attorney

J_9

Have your ex seek to have your daughter adopted by her new husband, then you can just sign off for the adoption process to begin. Unless your daughter is being adopted you still will be obligated to pay child support.

goodkat

so i can't just terminate my rights. she has told me that her husband wants to adopt her but they apparently they want to do it when ever they want and keep me paying child support to spite me. which don't get me wrong i don't mind paying cause she "is" my daughter but i know she's doing it to spite me

J_9

Terminating your rights only means that you give up the right to make decisions regarding the raising and well being of your child. It does not remove financial obligation.

Fr_Chuck

Yes unless the step father adopts you will have to pay child support, but will have no say in the childs life.

If you really love the child and want what is really best for the child, you stay part of the childs life.

ScottGem

Lets say WHOA for a minute here. You are leaving a lot out here. What is written about custody and visitation in the divorce decree? Hve you tried to get the court to enforce that? As the others have told you, you probably won't be able to relinquish your rights without the new husband adopting. And if even if its granted it doesn't get you out of child support.

LadyB

You need to assert your rights, not terminate them!

s_cianci

Are you paying chid support? If not, you could be sued for it in the future. If you are, you'll continue to do so even if you "give up your rights." The only way to be free of your support obligation is if her new "dad" legally adopts your daughter. If your ex and her husband decide they want to go that route, then they can have their attorney, at their expense, draft up an adoption agreement, which you would then sign, then their attorney would present it to the judge for his/her signature. At that time, the adoption would become legal and binding and all of your rights and responsibilities would be terminated.

You will continue to pay support until he legally adopts her. Until then, you are her legal father, with all of the accompanying rights and responsibilities.

Mary Surette

GoodKat,
No offense meant to everyone on this thread, but you can terminate parental rights --voluntarily and not pay child support after that. I've done it myself IN TEXAS --. Terminating parental rights does terminate your duty to pay child support. All that would remain is your child's inheritance rights from you.

I did not do it involuntarily nor did I violate any child custody agreement, harm my child or violate a child support order.

It is based on a case by case basis and you would need to have good reason to do so. Also, agreement of the parties involved is necessary. What is more, it is not good public policy.

Termination normally precedes adoption.

Mary

Mary Surette

Goodkat,
I wouldn't terminate though. Just hang in there and assert your visitation rights as a dad. There are alot of ramifications that will affect your child if you do terminate.
Mary