BASICS OF ALABAMA ADOPTION LAW:
Payment of Money to a Birth Mother
CAN I PAY THE PARENT OF A MINOR OR UNBORN CHILD FOR THE CHILD?
No! An offer to make such payment is a Class A misdemeanor; to receive payment for a person’s consent to adoption is a Class C felony.
WHAT EXPENSES CAN I PAY?
A person seeking to adopt a child may pay maternity-connected medical or hospital and necessary living expenses of the mother preceding birth and during pregnancy and related incapacity as long as such payments are made as an act of charity and such payment is not contingent upon placement of the child for adoption. All fees and expenses, including legal, medical, investigative, or other legitimate professional fees may only be paid with court approval. [1]
Article by Corey Colbert
Photo by libertygrace0.
Corey Colbert is a third-year law student at Faulkner University’s Thomas Goode Jones School of Law. Corey is a member of Fannin Road Baptist Church, where he is currently serving as the temporary Music Director. Corey lives in Montgomery.
[1]Information provided by the Alabama Law Institute for Alabama Probate Judges’ Association and Reese McKinney, Jr. Judge of Probate Montgomery County, Alabama.
