I was raped at 17 then found out I was pregnant four months later. My mother encouraged me to give the child up for adoption. I started the process, but backed out after actually seeing the child and building a connection with him. Obviously, I don't have a name or even a location for the father of my son. It was not a relative or person I knew. I was scared when it happened, so I kept it hidden until finding that I was pregnant, so there's no documentation by police/other. That was in Chicago. I am now married and have lived in Florida for the past 4 years. My husband would like to adopt my son. Honestly, he's the only father my son knows and we just want him to have the same name as us and his younger siblings. Is adoption the best way to go or should we go with a name change? The name change in Fl is $405 without the need for attorney (if I'm correct) and adoption is $300 before attorney fees. I really need some help here!

... Is adoption the best way to go or should we go with a name change? The name change in Fl is $405 without the need for attorney (if I'm correct) and adoption is $300 before attorney fees. ...

Adoption. The reasons have recently been discussed in this (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/family-law/am-engaged-wonderful-man-who-loves-kids-dearly-593259.html) thread, but in general they include the fact that a step-father has no legal rights to the child, even if the name of the child has been changed to match his.

As other experts on this forum will tell you, it is very important that you hire an attorney to help you with this. Yes, you can legally proceed without one, but there are serious pitfalls that make obtaining an attorney imperative.

Agreed adoption is the way to go. And you NEED an attorney in your situation. If you had filed a police report of the rape, I would say that you might be able to get away without an attorney in YOUR case. But without that you need an attorney to tell you how to get around not having the bio father's permission.

Agree, without a police report, it will be harder, if you have family members who were aware of the rape, the court may accept statements from them.

But it can be done, but you will need an attorney