Why do people say you can't sign to place a child for adoption...?

They say that because they are ignorant of the laws. there are a number of states that allow pre-birth consents or surrenders to be signed.

Some of them are : Kansas, Alabama, Washington state, Colorado, Hawaii.

The surrender or consent, must be filed or affirmed or reconsidered after the child is born. A parent can't surrender a child before birth because a child is not considered a "legal person" before birth.

I think Arkansas's adoption laws are pretty lax compared to other states. When I adopted my step daughter, there was no waiting period after the marriage. I married my husband in January, and her mother sigined the TPR and consent to adopt in Feb.

I could have adopted her 30 days later, but I was due to have my son in March, and on bedrest so our layer had it put in the April docket. (I also wanted to give her mom a couple of months to think it over)

Also we didn't need a home study. I don't know it that is because she was already living in our home or what, but it was never mentioned by the lawyer or the judge.

When we went before the judge he asked if I realized that I was taking on all responsibilities to her as I had to my children by birth and how our marriage was.

I have been in the court room with friends (I used to volunteer at a women's shelter and went with the women to get protective orders) and I have seen foster care and step parent adoptions go thru and they never take very long.

In the UK a mother cannot consent to surrender (sign to place a baby) until the baby is 6 weeks old unlike the USA.

http://www.baaf.org.uk/info/firstq/adoption.shtml#...

A birth mother cannot give consent to adoption until her child is at least six weeks old. Where birth parents do not agree, there is a process for the agreement to be independently witnessed. The detailed process varies according to the legislation of the particular country in the UK.

In most states you can make plans for an adoption and the baby may even come into the care of the adoptive couple but relinquishment papers can not be signed until 48 til 72 hours after birth. I thought it was that for all states, I didn't know about Arkansas. Where I get this is from is my own experience with new born adoption

Before birth would be signing "intent" not consent. The child isn't born - there is nothing to consent too. The mother still has rights, but one of them isn't changing her mind about which AP get's her child.

Wow, signing before the birth; The ULTIMATE in coercion

Just wow