Do adoptive parents have the same rights over an adopted child as a biological parent?
In Florida, adoptive parents are afforded parental rights and responsibilities to their adopted child just as if they were the child’s biological parent. This means that adoptive parents have the right to make decisions about their child’s upbringing, education, medical care and religious practices. The adoption record is also confidential in Florida, so adopted children are not legally required to disclose that they are adopted until they reach the age of majority at 18. The law also recognizes a legal relationship of parent and child between adoptee and adoptive parent for the purposes of inheritance, citizenship, and social security benefits and other governmental benefits. This means that an adopted child is afforded all of the same rights as a biological parent, including the right to financial and social security benefits, and the right to inherit from the adopted parent in the event of their death. Because the adopted child is legally recognized as the adoptive parent’s child, the adoptive parent must also provide support and care for the child just as any other parent would. In Florida, adoptive parents can also be responsible for providing child support, regardless of the relationship between the birth and adoptive parents. In sum, adoptive parents in the state of Florida have the same rights and responsibilities as a biological parent, so long as the adoption is done through a court-ordered process. Adoptive parents are responsible for providing the necessary care and legal protection for their adopted children, and the adoptive child is entitled to all of the same rights and freedoms as a biological child.
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