I have a question about a fathers parental rights. Can a father request to the state to sign over his parental rights? I have a friend of mine that has a child that he has never seen - and lives in California while he lives here in Minnesota and pays child support. The mother refuses to allow him to see their child yet he does have visitations, he's exhausted from all the court hearings that he has had to endure and asked me if there was a way he could just sign over his rights like she wants him to? I have no idea if he is allowed to do that or if he could do that. Does anyone know anything about parental rights and if there is a way to sign over your rights if both parents agree? Just curious. Looking forward to some sort of answers here Thank you...

Hello Sexy:

Sure he can. But, he can't sign over his responsibilities. So, the only thing he gains by giving up his rights, is NOTHING.

If the mother won't let him visit, then he doesn't visit, and doesn't go to court to try. But, he should not forever FORFEIT his chance to change his mind.

excon

Fight for your child. There has to be something in the order allowing for visitation. If she is not abiding by the order, let that be known in court. Once you have made that move, there is no going back, unless the child, as an adult, wants it.

A father can not just "give up his right" if they could you would have men standing in line who don't want to pay child support.

If the mother agrees, he can give it up, but only if she agrees.

If she will not let him visit, he needs to drag her back to court to order her again, and if she still don't bring her back againa and again.

If the father is not sure the child is his and is paying him child support can he request that there be a dna test and if the mother refuses can he take her back to court

We live in Georgia and when the father and I married and had kids of our own, she wanted him to give up his rights until she went to the lawyer and realized that she would get no more free money and would have to go to work. Then it just wasn't in the child's best interest or so she said. We are in the same boat pretty much, bio mom won't let him see child or even talk to her on the phone. And we live about 4-5 hours from them. He pays child support faithfully, to no avail.

Hello SexyWildflower I don't know about the state you live in but here were I live at a father can sign over his rights [but] there has to be another person in this case another guy to take over his responsibilities if there isn't one then he can't sign over his rights but tell him to think about it hard and long because I am doing research on the same thing with my daughters father signing over and my husband takeing over the rights and what I have read is that even if a father signs over his rights it doesn't stop child support unless the mother closes the case so I hope this was some kind of help

Honey, been there done that!! He can sign over his rights if that is what they both want. When he signs over his rights depending on what state and how the paperwork is laid out, he may still have to pay child support he may not. But all in all he can sign over his rights if that is what theyboth want.

Hello bj:

Your advice is welcome here, but this is a LAW board, not an OPINION board. There are places on this site where opinions are welcome. This board isn't one of them. Our answers here are based on the law, not a single person's anecdotal experiences.

Your personal experience notwithstanding, in terms of the law, you are incorrect.

excon

I do not want to flood the board and I will put here only one letter of the codes but ir refers to all states.

14-09-08.21. Termination of parental rights - Duty of support. A termination of
Parental rights does not terminate the duty of either parent to support the child before the child's
Adoption unless that duty is specially terminated by order of the court after notice of a proposed
Termination or relinquishment is given to the department of human services in the manner
Appropriate for the service of process in a civil action in this state. A termination of a child
Support obligation under this section does not relieve a parent of the duty to pay any unpaid child
Support.
CHAPTER 14-09
PARENT AND CHILD-Domestic Relations and Persons -NDCC

Well yeah if she has someone to adopt the child like a husband all it takes is a paper signed in front of a notry but she has to fill the adoption papers going through the same thing right now only diff my ex don't want my son

He can just go and sign over his rights to the mother... there's really no proess for it.