[Shelyn]

I have been with my husband for 7 years and we have been married for a year this November. We have twins together and I have a daughter from a previous relationship. When my daughter was three, her sperm donor and I went for the paternity test and the result was 99.99999999 percent. WOW what a shocker. Well she is 8 years old and he pays me 44.00 a week in child support (sometimes). My husband has been in my life since my daughter was 16 months old and has only known him as her daddy, her sperm donor has seen her ONE time (at the courthouse when she was three) only and for some reason he does not want anything to do with her. I want to know how can my husband adopt my daughter and make it official with my husband who has been raising her as his own his. He deserves the right to have her call her daddy and carry his last name and I need help on how to do this. Thank you to anyone and everyone who will give me the right information to start the process.

A mother who wants her husband to have his daughter legally his

[Fr_Chuck]

Yes get an attorney to write it, up, your sperm donor gives his permission, and then you can adopt

[s_cianci]

He'll have to file a motion with the Family Court. The biological father will have to be contacted and given the opportunity to consent to or contest the adoption. If he consents, then it's no problem. If he contests, then the judge will weigh all the evidence and decide what's (presumably) in the child's best interests.

[macksmom]

It all depends on how you want to go about it... the easy way or the hard way.

The easy way is contacting the biological father and see if he would be willing to reliquish his parental rights. He isn't exercising them anyway by not seeing her. Also, it may be helpful to throw in there, that if he does agree to reliquish his rights to allow your husband to adopt her, then he will no longer be responsible for child support.

The hard way is if you think the bio father won't be willing to sign over his rights. You would then need to petition to have his rights terminated. The fact that he has no relationship, and doesn't seem to want any, with your daughter will play greatly in your favor. You will need to prove that it is in the best interest of the child for the bio fathers rights to be terminated and for your husband to be allowed to adopt her. But keep in mind, if the bio father fights this it will be an up hill battle all the way.

I would suggest approaching the bio father first, and see if he is willing to reliquish his rights. If he agrees, things will be much easier. If he doesn't, and still shows no interest in your child then you could still petition to terminate his rights.

Good luck.