If you’ve been following the news lately about the legalization of same-sex marriages in other states, you may have come across stories that have talked about the related legal issues the state’s legislatures must also address such as divorce, child custody and adoptions. After reading these stories, one can’t help but remember when our own state legislature faced the same challenging task.
Even though the Maryland legislature has since provided legal guidelines for same-sex couples in our state regarding a plethora of family law issues, there are a large number of people in the state who may find the wording of these statutes confusing. If you don’t have a legal background, it can be difficult to understand what sections apply to whom and what the expectation of the law is.
If you’re like some of our Columbia readers, then you too may have questions about how same-sex marriage affects other areas of family law. Thankfully, we have answers to your questions and will even try to answer one you might be asking right now:
Are there any restrictions on who may adopt in Maryland?
If you’re a new resident to our state, you might ask the question above. And because we’d like you to be as informed as our more frequent readers, we’d like you to know that Maryland does not have any restrictions on who may adopt a child. Any adult, regardless of marital status or sexual orientation, is allowed to adopt.
So whether you’re a same-sex couple looking to expand your family or a stepparent looking to adopt your spouse’s children, know that you do have the right to file for adoption and may even have your request granted. If you feel as if the court is denying your request for adoption for reasons not allowed by the law, remember that you do have the right to talk to an attorney who may be able to help you make a case or at the very least answer your legal questions.
Source: FindLaw, “Maryland Adoption Laws,” Accessed April 28, 2015