Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Family found dead in Ohio home
Man gets 3 years in prison for having sex with horse
Robbers order bar patrons to empty pockets
Sex-toy study at Duke University raises some eyebrows
Akron man turns himself in after authorities turn up heat
Man appears alive at own funeral
Take comfort in knowing Browns could be bigger losers
Blogs:
Pets:
Not 101 Dalmations…but close!
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
For your perusal
Akron Zips:
The morning after
Tribe Matters:
Tribe makes roster moves
Cleveland Browns:
Lewis doesn't like boycott
Kent State Sports:
Kent State falls to Akron, 20-28
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs at Knicks
Buckeye Blogging:
Weekly ‘B’ Deck Report – New Mexico St.
Varsity Letters:
Wrestling, bowling teams prepare for season
All Da King's Men:
If It Looks Like Islamic Terrorism…
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Dems Message To Women: Don't Enjoy The Sex
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (62) The Stupak Amendment
See Jane Style:
Muffle Your Muffler
Car Chase:
Perfect Weather for an Autumn Drive
Let's Talk Real Estate:
RUMORS: Downtown Restaurant Explosion
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Jack is looking for a trip to Southern Ohio the week of November 16.
Sound Check:
The Black Keys to perform benefit concert at Musica on November 27
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – Why People Do Not Live in Northeast Ohio
Akron Gamer:
New 'Call of Duty' could set entertainment record
Judge asks why teen girls are allowed to give up babies without parents' consent
By Rick Armon
Beacon Journal
Published on Thursday, Feb 28, 2008
A state appeals court judge has expressed concern that teenage mothers are allowed to give up children for adoption in Ohio without their parents being consulted.
In a decision released Wednesday in a local adoption case, 9th District Court of Appeals Judge Donna J. Carr said it's troubling that minors are restricted from entering into other legal contracts, but not adoptions.
''We allow 16-year-olds, and those even younger, to independently decide to permanently terminate the relationship of parent and child without the advice of their own parent or perhaps the counsel of a guardian ad litem or attorney,'' she wrote in a three-page addendum to the court's decision.
Only Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Guam and Puerto Rico require the consent of the minor's parents in an adoption, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, a service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The local adoption case involves a Canton teen who has accused A Child's Waiting, a private agency in Copley Township, of urging her to run away from home so her parents wouldn't interfere.
Stephanie Bennett has been fighting to regain custody of her daughter, Evelyn, since 2006, saying she regretted her initial decision. Evelyn was only a few months old at the time.
The agency has denied Bennett's claims and has fought to keep from having to return the child.
On Wednesday, the court rejected Bennett's appeal of a Summit County Juvenile Court judge's ruling that determined that the Probate Court, not Juvenile Court, had jurisdiction in the matter. Probate Court has yet to rule on the final adoption.
Because Bennett surrendered the child to a private agency, the mother lost the protec
tion of a juvenile court review given to other parents giving up their children to a public agency, Carr noted.
''In this case, there are allegations that the minor mother's act of signing the permanent surrender agreement was not a voluntary act, but was done under duress,'' Carr wrote. ''The added layer of safeguards included in a review by the juvenile court might have best and most efficiently served the interests of both this minor mother and her child.''
A Child's Waiting has said an attorney consulted with Bennett before she made her decision to give up the child.
State investigators also have concluded that there was no evidence that Bennett was asked to run away. But the agency was cited for several procedural and paperwork violations related to the adoption.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services announced last May that it was reviewing the agency's state license because of the Bennett case and a history of similar violations. The license expired last September and remains under review, said Dennis Evans, a department spokesman.
The agency is permitted to continue operating during the review process.
Bennett's attorney, Jennifer Lowry, said she had not read the appeals court decision and could not comment.
A telephone message seeking comment was left with an attorney representing A Child's Waiting.
The agency was founded in 2000 and has handled about 1,400 adoptions since then, according to the agency's Web site.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com.
A state appeals court judge has expressed concern that teenage mothers are allowed to give up children for adoption in Ohio without their parents being consulted.
Get the full article here.
