When a couple has been together for awhile and has made a major commitment to each other, one thing they may desire is to start a family together. Same-sex couples are no exception to this. However, for same-sex couples, biology requires that they turn to non-traditional methods for starting a family. For many same-sex couples, the seeking of an adoption plays a role in their efforts to start a family.
Our firm understands how big and important of a step an adoption can be for a same-sex couple. We can help such couples with the various legal processes adoptions involve and can assist them in navigating any hurdles that arise.
There are several different types of adoptions same-sex couples sometimes pursue. Here are some of the primary examples:
- A traditional adoption in which the child being adopted is purely an adoptive child.
- An adoption of a child that was born as part of a surrogacy agreement.
- An adoption by one same-sex partner of a child that the other same-sex partner is a biological parent of.
Each of these different types of adoptions can raise its own issues and red tape.
Adoptions by any type of couple can be a legally complex process. However, adoptions by same-sex couples can have some added challenges given the unique legal position such couples hold here in Texas due to the restrictive position the state currently holds regarding same-sex couples and the fact that same-sex couple family law isn’t as fully developed as other parts of family law. This is why experienced legal representation can be a very valuable thing when it comes to same-sex adoptions.