Can We Adopt If We’re Not Married?

by | Aug 17, 2015 | Adoptive Families Blog

Young happy couple making dinner togetherQuestion: Can we adopt through Lifetime if we’re just living together and not yet married?

Answer: No, most states only provide adoption proceedings for singles or couples who are married. You can each adopt as a single but it gets complicated and expensive because one of you will adopt and complete the adoption, and then the other parent adopts.

Many birth parents prefer (and request) a couple who is married. They want a loving, stable family life for their child: parents who are in a loving marriage and have a secure relationship.

At Lifetime Adoption, we’ve provided adoption services to couples who were married for only 12 months and for as long as 25 years.

Do you have questions about adoption through Lifetime? Please give us a call at 1-800-923-6784. To start the first steps towards adopting a baby through Lifetime, fill out our free online application.

Mardie Caldwell, C.O.A.P.

Written by Mardie Caldwell, C.O.A.P.

Founder of Lifetime Adoption, adoptive mom, adoption expert, and Certified Open Adoption Practitioner (C.O.A.P).

Since 1986, adoption expert Mardie Caldwell has been dedicated to bringing couples and birth parents together in order to fulfill their dreams.

“Many years ago, I was also searching for a child to adopt. We didn’t know where or how to get started. Through research, determination, and a prayer, our dream of a family became reality. I started with a plan, a notebook, assistance from a caring adoption consultant and a lot of hard work; this was my family I was building. We had a few heartaches along the way, but the pain of not having children was worse!

Within weeks we had three different birth mothers choose us. We were overwhelmed and delighted. Many unsettling events would take place before our adoption would be finalized, many months later. Little did I know that God was training and aligning me for the adoption work I now do today. It is my goal to share with our families the methods and plans which succeed and do not succeed. I believe adoption should be affordable and can be a wonderful “pregnancy” for the adoptive couple.

I have also been on both sides of infertility with the loss of seven pregnancies and then conceiving by new technology, giving birth to a healthy daughter. I have experienced first-hand the emotional pain of infertility and believe my experience allows me to serve your needs better.

It is my hope that for you, the prospective parents, your desire for a child will be fulfilled soon.”

Read More About Mardie Caldwell

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