Severance of Parental Rights

Severance of Parental Rights: In some states the term that is used is the "termination of parental rights." This is the process of involuntarily taking away the parental rights of a parent that has abandoned a child, has without just cause failed to support a child, has neglected or abused a child, has stood by and allowed others to neglect or abuse a child, or who because of extended incarceration in prison, will be unavailable to properly parent or nurture the child during its formative years. Once the parental rights of both parents of a child have been severed, the child will become available for adoption by another family.

Find more information on Severance of Parental Rights

previous term

next term

 go back

 NOTICE: By using the adoption glossary you agree to our terms of service

---

The definition of this term has been taken from the "Adoption Glossary," which contains definitions of a wide variety of words that relate to adoption and infertility. The entire Adoption Glossary is located at http://glossary.adoption.com.

Corrections, additions, other terms? Send us your feedback.