Relinquishment

Voluntarily forfeiting or terminating one's parental rights to a child for the purpose of adoption. This term is considered negative by some adoption professionals who believe it implies the birthparent has not considered the child's future when, in fact, the birthparent usually has given very serious and lengthy consideration to the child's future life. Those who are critical of the word "relinquishment" may prefer "giving consent" for an adoption or "transferring parental rights and obligations."

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An involuntary forfeiture of rights is called TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS and usually results from the caretaker's abuse or neglect of a child and the inability of the parent or caretaker to overcome the problems that led to the child's removal from the home.

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©2000 by Christine Adamec and William Pierce, Ph.D. Reprinted from The Encyclopedia of Adoption, 2nd Edition (2nd Edition) with permission of Facts On File, Inc.