Well this is certainly a sad situation. Your boyfriend can abandon his child, but he can't sign over his parental rights unless another parent is ready and willing to step into his shoes (i.e. a step-parent adoption). He can relinquish legal and physical custody of the child to the mother, in which case he will not be included in important decisions relating to the child and will have no contact with him. However, he will still be on the hook for child support until the child graduates from high school or another parent adopts him. This child support can, and likely will, include additional amounts for uninsured medical expenses and daycare. Moreover, the amount he will have to pay may be pretty high in light of the fact that he has no relationship with the child.
Answered on Oct 16th, 2014 at 10:47 AM