# Florida's Adoption Law **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 15, 2002, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floridas-adoption-law/124022 "2002-08-15T14:33:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Diane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2acd7d/32.png) [@Diane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diane)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floridas-adoption-law/124022/1 "2002-08-15T14:33:14Z")
Is it true that Florida has a law that requires a birth mother who wants to give her baby up for adoption to take an add in the newspaper listing the name of every man she has had sex with? Please tell me I heard wrong. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floridas-adoption-law/124022/2 "2002-08-15T14:42:19Z")
If she doesn’t know who the father is, yes. I believe that is the case. You’ve probably heard of the recent case where a couple wants to adopt a child, and the mother (who was 13 at the time and living in NY in a small town) is balking at having to list her lovers. Florida, I believe, is the only state that requires such a public airing of the laundry. Other states do it confidentially. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floridas-adoption-law/124022/3 "2002-08-15T17:11:43Z")
I believe it requires her to supply the name of the father. Failing that the names of the possible fathers. Failing that to make an anouncement so the father may be found. Sounds reasonable to me. It is already being discussed in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=130645) ---
**Author:** ![Diane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2acd7d/32.png) [@Diane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diane)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floridas-adoption-law/124022/4 "2002-08-15T18:05:14Z")
Really? I am trying to understand why it would be reasonable to publish this information for all the world to see. It sounds like a huge violation of privacy and only adds to the already difficult decision a woman makes when giving her child up for adoption. I’ll check out the other thread. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2002, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floridas-adoption-law/124022/5 "2002-08-15T18:48:10Z")
The FL law has required an exhaustive search for the father. Previously, this has been interpreted as the mother placing HER name in the paper. A politician (as I use even that term loosely) state Sen. Walter ‘‘Skip’’ Campbell, D-Tamarac, sponsored the bill which according to the Miami Herald, said > [@](#): > > If the father cannot be found, a birth mother must place notices about the adoption in a local newspaper where the baby was conceived. The mother is required to list her name, describe herself, name or describe the possible father or fathers, and list the date and the city or county of conception. Not every man she has had sex with, just the likely candidates for Poppa. If she has the name, they can likely be contacted through more discreet means. This is kinda the last ditch effort. Peter Blanc, a judge recently ruled that is unconstitutional. And yes, it is abhorrent. It is also under attack and revision. [http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/3851130.htm](http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/3851130.htm) [http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/3850992.htm](http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/3850992.htm)