# Can one Undo an Adoption when they are an adult? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 14, 2007, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-undo-an-adoption-when-they-are-an-adult/400093 "2007-04-14T12:54:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-undo-an-adoption-when-they-are-an-adult/400093/1 "2007-04-14T12:54:31Z")
Case in point: Bio dad relinquishes rights to Child A at early age (2). Evil Step dad X adopts Child A and then later divorces mom and has not been in child’s life for 20 years… Bio dad comes back into the picture when Child A is an adult (30) with a family he (Child A) is reconnecting with bio dad and has a good relationship. He wants to have the adoption undone and have bio dad named as father on birth certificate. How can this be done legally? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-undo-an-adoption-when-they-are-an-adult/400093/2 "2007-04-14T13:26:20Z")
In many (all?) states, it’s not possible to undo an adoption\*. It is, however, perfectly legal to do a new adoption; have bio-dad adopt his genetic son. That’s legal, and the consent of the person losing paternity is not usually needed in adult adoption. But, again, adoption law varies by state, I am not anyone’s lawyer, much less yours. \*[cite for Texas, for example](http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:u9ZH7oZNLb8J:www.texaslawhelp.org/TX/showdocument.cfm/County/%2520/City/%2520/demoMode/%253D%25201/Language/1/State/TX/TextOnly/N/ZipCode/%2520/LoggedIn/0/rpc/1300100/doctype/pdf/ichannelprofileid/31982/ichanneldocid/23215/iorganizationid/0/itopicID/495/iProblemCodeID/1300100/iChannelID/91/isubtopicid/1/iproblemcodeid/1300100+undoing+an+adoption+as+an+adult&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=6&gl=us&client=firefox-a) ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-undo-an-adoption-when-they-are-an-adult/400093/3 "2007-04-14T15:17:45Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] In many (all?) states, it’s not possible to undo an adoption\*. It is, however, perfectly legal to do a new adoption; have bio-dad adopt his genetic son. That’s legal, and the consent of the person losing paternity is not usually needed in adult adoption. But, again, adoption law varies by state, I am not anyone’s lawyer, much less yours. \*[cite for Texas, for example](http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:u9ZH7oZNLb8J:www.texaslawhelp.org/TX/showdocument.cfm/County/%2520/City/%2520/demoMode/%253D%25201/Language/1/State/TX/TextOnly/N/ZipCode/%2520/LoggedIn/0/rpc/1300100/doctype/pdf/ichannelprofileid/31982/ichanneldocid/23215/iorganizationid/0/itopicID/495/iProblemCodeID/1300100/iChannelID/91/isubtopicid/1/iproblemcodeid/1300100+undoing+an+adoption+as+an+adult&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=6&gl=us&client=firefox-a) [/QUOTE] So one wouldn’t need to undo an adoption, they would just need to be readopted by bio parent…? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-undo-an-adoption-when-they-are-an-adult/400093/4 "2007-04-14T16:10:47Z")
I believe it’s also possible for a child to legally sever all relationships with a parent. Presumedly, this would be the same as being “unadopted” if that were the original relationship. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-undo-an-adoption-when-they-are-an-adult/400093/5 "2007-04-14T16:18:45Z")
[QUOTE=Phlosphr] So one wouldn’t need to undo an adoption, they would just need to be readopted by bio parent…? [/QUOTE] Exactly. Check with a lawyer in your state, but I’ve never seen an exclusion for natural parents in an adoption law. And a person is not limited to one adoption - I know one unfortunate kid in my son’s class has been adopted three times, by different step-fathers. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-one-undo-an-adoption-when-they-are-an-adult/400093/6 "2007-04-14T16:21:03Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] I believe it’s also possible for a child to legally sever all relationships with a parent. Presumedly, this would be the same as being “unadopted” if that were the original relationship. [/QUOTE] Severing ties is easy, (relatively) painless (with an absent person), and free. Unfortunately, it does not rectify the sitution of the legal document: the birth certificate. My limited experience with the adoption system (meaning the adopted son will be much better off contacting a lawyer in the state where the adoption took place), would suggest that the birth parent re-adopting the child would be the best solution.