Definitely a complex case, but TBH I will always have an inclination to side with the mother unless there is abuse or something on her part. That the father didn't want anything to do with the child until she was adopted sends up huge red flags for me. I'd be interested in reading the dissent, though.
I seem to recall from the previous articles that have been posted here that the father told the mother he did not want to be involved and signed over his parental rights. If this isn't the case, then I'd like to see that, but the reporting on the facts has been hazy at times.
That is the first source I've seen saying he wanted to support them. It also doesn't say anything about the texts or about signing over the parental rights or the adoption papers, and doesn't cite any sources for the claims of his visits or gifts, etc. I only hope the courts had a more complete set of facts, b/c I feel like I don't have enough to really form a good opinion either way.
ETA: The link provided above has better citations, at least. I still just don't know. I don't have a good opinion of someone who doesn't want parental rights until he learns the child will be put up for adoption, and then he does.
Even the discussion from that article points out the father didn't want to support the child at first. My feelings on this stem from the unsettling idea that the wishes of the mother for her own child can be overridden just because the father changes his mind. I do think finding a Native adoptive family would have been the better solution.
It was the comment thread up at the top. He apparently signed off on legal papers his rights to custody. I had thought it was done while he was away, but it seems he had also texted her something to that effect.
I'm starting to realize that the reporting on this case has been really crappy, and has primarily sided with the white adoptive couple (and I shouldn't be surprised by this). But most of the articles I've read on this also reported it this way, that the father didn't want anything to do with the girl until he found out that her mother wasn't raising her.
And you know, now that I think about it, there may be good reason for that. And his native heritage may have more to do with it than the way people are reporting it.
TBH I will always have an inclination to side with the mother
Same here. This case is tangled up in so much misinformation and deeply steeped in racial history and abusive practices and has the bonus of affecting the life of a very young child that I'm not even sure what to think about it anymore. But I deeply dislike that the law can override the mother's wishes about her child.
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ETA: The link provided above has better citations, at least. I still just don't know. I don't have a good opinion of someone who doesn't want parental rights until he learns the child will be put up for adoption, and then he does.
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And you know, now that I think about it, there may be good reason for that. And his native heritage may have more to do with it than the way people are reporting it.
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Same here. This case is tangled up in so much misinformation and deeply steeped in racial history and abusive practices and has the bonus of affecting the life of a very young child that I'm not even sure what to think about it anymore. But I deeply dislike that the law can override the mother's wishes about her child.
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