[jaimehaley]

I am about to adopt my foster child in Pennsylvania. She has an older brother placed with a paternal great aunt who has shown no interest in my child until we are ready to adopt and now is trying to force sibling visits and we are being told that she can sue us for vistation after adoption. Is this true? It is not in the best interest of my daughter to have contact with these family members and the aunt goes to court and lies to get her way.

[Fr_Chuck]

Are you saying you wish to keep the child from seeing her older brother?

[jaimehaley]

No... I do not wish to keep her from her brother... the children have been separated for over two years... it was deemed necessary to place them in separate homes by CYS... I do wish to keep my child from the biological family that is only concerned with her well being when it looks good for the county! I also believe that the family is secretly letting her brother see the birth father who lost his rights several months ago. This is not a good situation and I do not want my child involved

[kcomissiong]

Who is telling you that the biological relatives can force visits? I would completely ignore that, especially once the adoption is complete. Adoption makes you the legal parent to your foster child... a stranger has no right to tell a parent who their child has to see. The aunt has no parental rights, even with the biological parents, and cannot exercise parental rights to visitation. Your reasons for not wanting your child to see the family are your own, but they can't make you.

[Synnen]

Actually, you're wrong, kcomissiong. There are SEVERAL states that have forced adoptive parents to give visitation to biological relatives--especially granparents. Indiana is the worst about this.

The hilarious and sad thing about it is that you cannot have a contract that guarantees visitation as the biological PARENT, as part of your adoption agreement... but your parents can sue for visitation and get it in some states.