Adoption Law in Michigan

Today we are continuing our series with an adoption attorney. And in fact, we are going to be speaking with Dion. Dion is an adoption attorney in the state of Michigan. He's going to give us an overview of the process and help us understand the adoption law in the state of Michigan. And he's just going to give us a wealth of experience that you can tap into no matter what state you might be adopting from. 

Amanda: So without further ado, let's jump into our conversation with Dion. Hello, Dion. And welcome to the show.

Dion:  It's good to be here. Thank you for having me on; I think this is a really good thing that you're doing.

Amanda: Oh, thank you! I am super excited for hopeful adoptive families out there to have a resource to turn to, both through getting an overview of the process in your state as well as having someone to reach out to once they're ready to make that leap into that attorney-client relationship. So it's just our friendly disclaimer that we give at the top of all of these: This is not creating an attorney-client relationship with Dion. This is simply for informational purposes only. But of course, we'll always have his contact information listed in the show notes if you'd like to reach out to him. But now that we've got that out of the way, Dion, will you share a little bit more about yourself with our audience?

Dion: Well, I'm an attorney in Michigan, licensed to practice in Michigan, and I practice primarily in adoption. I do a little bit of guardianship work. But those are pretty much the two areas. And I intentionally went to law school to do this. I fell in love with the adoption process. While adopting my daughter, my wife and I adopted our daughter back in 2008, finalized the adoption in 2009 in state adoption, and I was enamored with the process and inspired, and I saw an opportunity to make a change in my career because I was doing something completely different at the time, so I decided to take a chance and go to law school later in life as a second career, with the intention of going and being an adoption attorney. So thankfully, I was able to do that. It was a process, but here I am. I've been practicing for about 10 years now. I've been solo practicing since January 1, 2000. So I inherited my practice from a mentor and adoption expert in Michigan who retired and gratefully offered to pick up where he left off. And so I'm really grateful to be doing what I do. And like I said, I've been practicing for 10 years. I'm the chair of the State Bar of Michigan adoption subcommittee. So I'm involved with getting legislation passed, trying to make changes in laws and regulations throughout the state to make Michigan as adoption friendly as possible. It's not always easy, but I love doing it. And I'm also a contributor for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, which is kind of Michigan's CLE organization out of Ann Arbor, and I contribute a chapter for the Family Law Manual under adoption. So I keep myself pretty busy. There are not a lot of adoption attorneys in Michigan. We're a small group of dedicated individuals, but we work really hard, and we all love what we do.

Amanda: Well, thank you for joining us, and that is just amazing to hear what change you're enacting for the entire industry there in Michigan. That's amazing. I think you're obviously a great resource for the community as a whole. But I'd love it if you would start by just giving us an overview of the adoption process in the state of Michigan.

Adoption Process in Michigan, Including Consent and Revocation Laws

Dion: Adoption missions are governed by the adoption code. Michigan has its own adoption code. Michigan allows anybody—residents or nonresidents—to file petitions. So that's a question I often get when I'm talking with people who are exploring adoption: whether or not they have to file in Michigan if the birth mother is in Michigan, or whether they can file in their home state. Michigan allows either to file, so Michigan allows direct placement adoptions, which are akin to a private adoption or an independent adoption; it's along those lines. Obviously, agency adoptions are permitted, including stepparent adoptions, relative adoptions, guardianship adoptions, and adult adoptions, so a single person or a married couple can adopt.

Two single people cannot adopt the same child. So some states do allow unmarried couples to adopt. But in Michigan, if you're a couple and you're adopting, you have to be legally married. So that's important to know. One time I ran into a little situation with a couple as we were working through the process. On my list of documents, I was asking: was the marriage certificate needed? Well, it never did; it just wasn't showing up. It wasn't showing up. And at one point I asked him, "I need your marriage certificate." Oh, we're not legally married. And that was like, "Oh, so we had really changed gears on that one." So thankfully, we are able to get it done. But it's, you know, those little things that you need to cover, but as far as consents go, I think it's probably important to talk about consent.

A birth parent, usually the birth mother, will place a child if she chooses a family or works through an agency. If she chooses a family independently and decides to consent to the placement of a child directly with the adoptive family, if she can sign consent, she has to wait 72 hours to do that signed signing. And when she does sign, she has to sign in the presence of her attorney and some representatives of a Michigan child placement agency. So that's what we consider our out-of-court consent. And so, 72 hours after the birth minimum, And then, once she does sign, she does have five days, not including weekends and holidays. To request to revoke her consent, I say she is primarily a birthmark, but it could be a legal father; legal fathers are treated the same way as mothers. So a consenting parent would have five days, not including weekends and holidays, to request the revocation of that consent. So generally, that comes out to seven calendar days in most situations, because if you sign on a Wednesday, your Saturday and Sunday are not going to count, and it usually comes around to the following Wednesday. So unless there's a holiday in there that can make things go a little longer, this especially comes into play around Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Christmas and New Year's because the courts are closed for a couple of days and for both weeks. And so inevitably, I always have a baby born on Christmas Eve or the day after Christmas, and the family has guests to spend extra time in Michigan during the best time of the year here. So he's really covered with snow. But that's generally how it works. I mean, in regards to replication, I think this is, you know, and I answered these questions because these are the questions. I usually get when people are asking me about these things. They're exploring the option of, you know, that revocation. Is it automatic, or does it require some court intervention? In some states, if the birth mother wants the baby back within her revocation period, the baby goes back to Michigan, but not necessarily. Often adoptive parents will just agree to return the child; they don't want to contest the adoption or get embroiled in a long legal battle, but they don't have to. If the situation seems to indicate that it may not be best for the child to go back to the birth mother because of whatever kind of circumstances she may be involved in, then the court would have to determine whether or not it's in the best interest of the child to return before allowing her to be revoked. So the court can say yes, or the court can say no. So it's important for birth mothers, when they sign up for consents, that they understand a lot of the time. They have five days to revoke. You know, I make it clear to them. And in fact, I met with a birthmother client this afternoon, earlier today, to make it clear to her that, you know, he signed this and you want to change your mind afterwards. It's not an automatic thing. The court could say no. So I always want to make sure that my birth mother is a client, or at least very sure about what they're doing. Yeah, I do represent adoptive families and birth families, too. 

Amanda: Okay. So in that type of situation, is she signing prior to birth? Is the order well-founded?

Dion: Not in Michigan. No, I know, some states do allow that. But Michigan, and she has to give birth first, and then 72 hours have to go by now, she could give her consent in court. You know, I told her this was an "outer consent," which means most of our consents are done out of court, but she also has the option of appearing in court before a judge or a referee to give her consent at that time. Once she gives consent in front of a judicial officer, it's irrevocable; she can't change it. So it takes longer to get that hearing. So Gotcha. Most of the time, I advise my clients to request an out-of-court consent.

Amanda:  Yeah, that makes sense. Can you talk a little bit about the putative father, if there's a putative father registry, and even what that term means for our audience and how to navigate that aspect?

Michigan's Putative Father Registry and Its Role in Adoption Proceedings

Dion: In Michigan, we have a kind of putative father registry. I'm sure other attorneys that you've interviewed have talked about their state's putative father registry that either gives them some sort of presumption of paternity or at least notice of an entitlement to notice of adoptions. If they failed to register, in some states, that could be considered as presumptive consent. But not in Michigan; we do have a registry, and it's a verification of intent to claim paternity. 

A putative father registers for the most part. If a man believes that he's fathered a child out of wedlock, he can sign up for a form, go to the circuit court, or file it directly with the state. This registry is on my watch. I say it announces that there's a child out there; I may be the father of that child; if there are adoption proceedings for that child, then I want notice of that. And as adoption attorneys, we have to check that registry; we file a notice. Or we file a request for verification as to whether a notice has been filed. Now in Michigan, a filer can file that notice before the birth or before the due date, whichever is latest. So it's not many states, like so many days after a birth—30 days, 10 days. But in Michigan, it has to be before. And if that notice is filed before the birth or before the due date, then that man is presumed to be the legal father; there's a presumption of legal fatherhood. It's a rebuttable presumption, which means you can present evidence or rebut it to say, you know, that it's presumed that he's a part of it. Here's evidence that shows he's not. It's not. It's not true, as you know; it's just a presumption, but it does entitle him to notice of adoption proceedings. Okay, so that's about the best it does. It's something we do have to check. And it's usually something that has to be enclosed in any sort of adoption petition packet.

Amanda: Can you give us a bit more detail if the birth father is listed? And if he's not listed around, really, what are the appropriate protocols for that? So, is the notice given in the paper similar to other states? Or is there a notice to go and do diligence to go find him? How did those situations work?

Dion: So I can tell you that very few men file with a putative father, father registry, and machinery. I don't know if any have ever come up in all of my years of filing, maybe one or two. What I can tell you is that, if a father does come up, which is so rare, or if he's given us an address, he's given us a name. And so we would notify him; we would send him a notice of hearing. But we would try to get in contact with him to see if he would be willing to not get annoyed, not start, and not contest the adoption. Yeah, so a putative father, his sort of the mayor, has fathered a child out of wedlock. As an adoption attorney, I would find out if he's willing to sign what's called a "custody statement" in Michigan; he can sign the statement at any time before or after birth. It's a statement that says he can say one of three things: "I'm the father," "I'm denying interesting custody," "I might be the father and I'm denying interesting custody," or "I'm not the father." If he's willing to check one of those boxes and sign that statement in the presence of a witness, that essentially allows the court to terminate any rights he has. So it's essentially the closest thing you would come to a consent for a period between the putative father and Michigan. So, by signing that statement, he also waives any further notice. So essentially, he walks away from any sort of rights that he would have. And you know, often we have good fathers who are not interested in fathering a child, raising a child, or supporting a child. And so, for various reasons, they'll sign off. And that's always, you know, the best thing we would like to get if we were to make an adaptation to allow an adoption to move forward. Now that we have a putative father, he doesn't want to do that, or we can't find him, or something like that. In Michigan, if a woman knows who a father might be, we do need to know his identity. She does need to name him as best she can. We can't, and if she does know him, she's not allowed to say, "I don't want to name him." Some states do allow a woman to know the name of the father or the identity and, you know, affirmatively not name him. So protecting her right to privacy, Michigan, that's not allowed. We do have to name him and make a reasonable effort to identify him, locate him, and notify him about the adoption. So often, we have situations where we may have several, and we have to go down the list and make our reasonable efforts to try to find these guys, you know, based on the information we have. And so often we're employing private investigators and doing our own investigations, searches, and things like that to try to find out if we can try to notify him of the proceedings, either by presenting him with that custody statement or serving him with a notice of hearing. And, but sometimes we have situations where, you know, it's a one-night stand or an Anonymous meeting. And the woman, whose mother doesn't, really has no information to provide. Yeah. Now, for very little at least, you know, in those situations, we do our best to take the information we have and make that reasonable effort. If we have Richmond, and if we have nothing, we have nothing to really go on. Yeah, if we can show the court what the circumstances are and show that, you know, we're not able to locate him or even identify him as long as he has not been providing for the child and made any plans for the child, the court can proceed with terminating his rights without notifying him. Okay. Michigan is now unique. The court rules in Michigan are unique in that a putative author cannot publish for a period of time. If there's a legal father, you, the court, can order publication. but with a putative father. It's not; it specifically says you can use other alternative means to a champ service except publication. So what makes your state unique, I think, compared to other states? Yeah. At some point, the court can say, "We've tried to find him, but we can't find him." We don't have to find him and say we've done enough and move forward without competition. So that's a unique aspect of this mission, dealing with putative fathers in Michigan. 

Amanda: Which points back to something I often share with the audience: the reason why you need an adoption attorney in that state. So if you live in the state of Arkansas but are, you know, adopting a child from the state of Michigan, you will need an adoption attorney in Arkansas, and he will need an adoption attorney in Michigan. That way, you will know that you are following the appropriate rules and regulations in those states, because the last thing you want to do is put an adoption opportunity in jeopardy due to a lack of understanding of the law in those states.

Dion: Absolutely. Yeah. And it's good to have those attorneys say that if you have the Arkansas attorney and the Michigan attorney, it's good for them to be able to discuss what the best pathway is. Is it best to do this in Arkansas? Can we do it better in Michigan? You know, that can really work to an adoptive family's advantage.

Michigan's Laws on Birth Mother Support and Living Expenses

Amanda: It really can. So speaking of really having a better understanding of the law, one common area that can often trip up hopeful adoptive families out of a place of good intent is the role of support. And for the birth family, can you talk a little bit more about what is allowed and not allowed? Obviously, these are broad strokes because every situation is different. But how does that work in the state of Michigan?

Dion: Sure. Michigan adoption law does allow for a birth mother to receive reasonable and actual living expenses during a pregnancy and up to six weeks after the birth. And that's regardless of whether it's a c-section or a natural birth. So for reasonable and actual living expenses, we do our best to follow best practice in Michigan, which is to hear if she has rented these ever since rent was paid, and then we pay the landlord, you know, out of a check out of the trust account. You know, we tried to mediate those payments and not have the adoptive family make them. So we can keep track of them, keep a record, and make sure everything that we're doing is allowed. We, one of the it's always a little perilous that we, you know, connect with an adoptive family that's connected with a birth mother ahead of time, maybe several weeks ahead of time, well, we've been paying this and paying that because she needed this and that, and like, oh, you know that? Hopefully, everything's okay. Because otherwise, like you said, you could put an adoption opportunity in jeopardy. If she's paying your mortgage or paying because we bought her a car or something like that, you know, it's like, "Oh, my goodness." So thankfully, I've not run into any major problems with that. But I'm always biting my nails a little bit when that happens. But yeah, what happens is, you know, reasonable and actual living expenses during the pregnancy up to six weeks after the birth. There is no cap in Michigan. So, you know, some states cap it off at a certain dollar amount. There is no statutory cap. But the court does have to review and approve those expenses. And, unfortunately, they usually get paid and accounted for before the petition is even filed. So we don't, we can't, and we don't get pre-approval from the court. So it's important. That's, you know, very important, as is the aspect of making sure that you have an attorney who knows the laws. So we know, at a certain point, that everything we're submitting is going to be approved. We don't want to run into a problem. 

Amanda: That's why the adoption attorney is the key there. That's right. Yeah, you don't want just any, you know, family practice, or whatever you want to call them, type of attorney, and an adoption attorney is going to understand the ins and outs of what's allowed. 

Dion: In addition to that, obviously, any out-of-pocket medical expenses for the baby are covered; money can be paid for transportation expenses, attorney fees, obviously, investigation fees, and things like that; reasonable and actual living expenses, you know, are things like rent, utilities, phone, clothing, maternity clothing, food, and personal items. Now, sometimes we run into the birth mother needing a car repair or something like that; usually we can justify that because it is transportation, and she needs it to get to her doctor's appointments, so, right, do something like that.

Adoption Methods and the Role of Adoption Consultants in Michigan

Amanda: That makes sense. So earlier, you spoke about the different types of adoption that are allowed—you know, agency adoption and independent or private adoption. I did want to just clarify a couple of other common terms and ways that people connect, either through an adoption attorney or through an adoption consultant. Are those two methods of matching if you will allow it in the state of Michigan?

Dion: There's nothing prohibiting it; the Adoption Court is kind of silent about that. What’s important for our direct placement options is that the birth mother or the birth parent selects the family. Only an adoption agency, a licensed Michigan agency, can actually do a selection, more like an agency-style adoption. 

A facilitator or a consultant couldn't take a relinquishment or something from a birth mother and then pick a family without her being involved in that. So that makes sense. Yeah, you have to be careful in that respect. But most of the adoption placements are direct placements, where the birth mother is actually selecting the family. And in that case, consultants can play a role. And facilitators can play a role. But you have to be careful not to get too involved in the process of actually evaluating and influencing who a birth mother should pick or what families are best. 

Word of Mouth and Online Advertising for Adoption in Michigan

Amanda: So what are a couple of examples that often come up in our community? So the first would be, if I am sharing my profile, maybe I'm sharing a business card with a friend, and maybe they pass it along to someone, and then they get connected directly in that type of manner. Is that type of connection what's called an “indirect placement” or an “independent adoption" under Michigan law?

Dion: Like where people kind of connect through private parties? 

Amanda: Yeah, kind of like family or church or, you know, things like that.

Dion: Sure. That is allowed. The Adoption Code specifically allows birth parents to reach out to others about being pregnant and wanting to make an adoption plan for adoptive parents through their own kind of advertisement. So word of mouth can qualify as that. Agencies can obviously advertise. But we have that connection. And it happens a lot. You know, they'll connect to even a Facebook post; they'll connect through family, friends, and coworkers; all that was permitted under Michigan law; you don't have to have an agency or anything mediating that necessarily.

Amanda: Awesome. And then you use the term "Facebook post." So I'll ask a follow-up question:

Are paid ads on things like Facebook, Google, and other sites of that nature covered under the Michigan law?

Dion: I would say yes, because it does allow a birth parent or an adoptive parent to advertise. Okay. So Section 55 of the Adoption Code is pretty specific about who can and cannot advertise for birth parents and vice versa, reaching out—you know, often through Facebook, etc.—to connect with adoptive families. 

Amanda: That's increasingly becoming a more popular option, you know, and from what I'm seeing in our communities and what's showing up in my email and things of that nature, each and every day.

Michigan adoption process from home study to finalization and offer tips for hopeful adoptive families.

Amanda: So, I know, we talked about the different types of adoption that are allowed in the state of Michigan. And I know we talked a little bit as it relates to consents and revocation periods, but I do want to just give my perspective on the total process and get the validation or updates from you based upon that. Corrections is the word I was looking for on that. So a hopeful adoptive family would have their home study approved. And then after they have, you know, reached that kind of milestone, they can begin sharing their profile in hopes of matching, whether that be through an agency or an attorney themselves, etc., and I would always highly suggest that they have their partner on board before they start doing that, right? So they're working with an agency; they have an attorney; you know, all of those relevant parties are involved before you start sharing your profile. And then you're going to connect with an expectant family, you know, either directly yourself or through, you know, another entity that is connected to you. And at that point, that is really when the support process and the legal process kick in, and all of those things kind of come into play up until the birth and then through the finalization. And then typically, after you know that the revocation period ends and you're working towards finalization, in most states, there are other home study visits that happen there. Does that track from an overall process perspective for Michigan? Are there slight nuances there as well?

Dion: That's generally the process. I mean, your home study has got to get that home study. The first step is the most important step in getting the ball rolling. And then you decide, and I share when I am consulting with new families looking to get into the process. You know, you have to decide, you know, who do you want to work with to help match you? Do you want to do it on your own? Do you want to work with a local agency? How fast? How far do you want to cast your nets? You know, you want to go national. You know, you want to read about these entities that do a lot of advertising on a national level. You know, you have to think about what costs you're willing to bear. And you know, because usually the farther the net you catch, the more it's going to cost. And then, you know, that match happens. And then at that point, that's where I usually come in; I'm usually reaching out for myself as an attorney once we've been matched, either because we live in Michigan or because our birth mother's in Michigan, so there's going to be a Michigan legal connection with someone. And so that's when I usually come on board. We put together the legal team, and we started putting together the file, working through the process. As far as you said, support the father situation, you know, whatever the circumstances there are, you're going to be cooperative, not cooperative. Do we know who he is? Can we find him? How many are there? So then, you know, after the birth, we do get the temporary placement. You've got to get that before hospital discharge and then start the consent process. And then, you know, ICPC, if it's interstate, is a big aspect of that, getting the petition filed in the appropriate court. And then usually, several weeks after that petition is filed, Michigan's civil rights are terminated. In the middle of the process, some states wait until the end; some states, you know, have a different point at which parental rights are terminated. Michigan does it. It's usually about a third of the way through six weeks or so. Based on consent, the court will sign the orders terminating parental rights. In most situations, once those rights are terminated, the child becomes a ward of the court. So the child's at court custody. And so, the court signs an order giving legal custody to the adoptive family. So it's what we call formal placement; we have temporary placement, beginning from the hospital; it's kind of like a power of attorney more or less. And then formal placement comes after termination of parental rights; it's a court order that has more teeth to it. And then at that point, that's the supervision period; once parental rights are terminated, we get into supervision for infants, three months of supervision for a child, you're over a year old, a year older, six months. Of course, we can file motions to waive any portion of that if we feel the court would grant that based on best interests. Okay. And then finalization comes, you know, hearing comes at some point after that supervision period concludes, and during that supervision period, that's when usually your home study agency is coming in periodically, every month, every couple of months, to do a report and make sure the adjustments are going well and the child is doing well. The family's doing well. Everybody's settling in and looks like a good match and good fit.

Amanda: Just to make sure that we're super clear to everyone in the audience. So once the baby is allowed to leave the hospital and you have, basically, a custody order, which is what you called it, you have the authority to leave the hospital with the baby. At that point, if you are an out-of-state family, you're waiting to get permission to go home from ICPC and the interstate compact for replacement of children, which basically means that your state and the state of Michigan are agreeing that you have the ability to travel across state lines. They're looking through paperwork and saying everything seems to be in order, and then you get that approval to travel from your adoption attorney. You cannot travel before you get that approval. anything else or that aspect of it.

Dion: In Michigan, I usually tell my clients to be prepared to stay 10 to 14 days. Hopefully, we'll get them out sooner. One of the benefits of the whole COVID mess we went through was that a lot of ICPC Before 2020, everything was submitted on paper in triplicate. So there's a day for a FedEx, and you know, on a day for that, but actually go to the next one. And so what about COVID? Everything went electronic. Michigan went on the ovary; we could submit things by email; we didn't have to send three copies of packets; it was just one electronic packet. And, you know, the ICPC process picked up. I mean, I could get approvals in three days, sometimes, and I've even gotten them in one day, which is surprising, even to me. So it's like, now I'm not guaranteeing that you're going to get one-day approval from me. But it can happen, but usually it takes 10 to 14 days to allow time for the 72 hours to pass before you can put together the packet you need to get through the process. And usually we can get you home sooner than later.

Amanda: often I share my cautionary tale quite often that we ourre in the state of Florida for three weeks. And so I tell people, I'm like, plan ahead, because you just never know what's gonna happen, it could be a day or so you never know. So at the point where you have the paperwork that allows you to leave the state and, you know, permission on that, that oftentimes becomes the next question for hopeful adoptive families, which is, Can I begin adding them to my health insurance and taking care of the baby to take them to the doctor and all of those types of things?” I'm assuming there's no variance there. From a Michigan perspective?

Dion: I've run into problems with my clients adoptions before they tried to get the baby enrolled. Sometimes, unfortunately, when the human resources departments have health care plans, it's amazing how they don't know more about adoption than they do. Sometimes I'm a little surprised that they want to, because they're asking for an order redaction. And I'm like, I tell them, It's not coming for weeks, We need a birth certificate with the adoptive parents names on it, or Oh, well, that's not coming until after the adoptions are final. So I ran into a few snags, and here I am. Sometimes I have to get involved and write letters and point out the law to them and stuff like that. But for the most part, the temporary placement paperwork that the adoptive parents get at the hospital is sufficient to get them and the child enrolled. We also, you know, if to help avoid any co-pays and deductibles that they might run into, or any sort of gap between placement and birth, where, you know, these charges come and instead of them not coming, adoptive families don't want to be stuck with an out-of-pocket bill that's not covered by their insurance and not covered by their mother's insurance, we try; we can often get the baby enrolled onto Michigan Medicaid. In other words, to do that, you must ensure that those birth charges are covered. Yeah, especially in situations where we have an extended hospital stay because a child is dealing with opioid addiction or something like that in certain situations.

Amanda: That totally makes sense. And, again, another reason why having an experienced adoption attorney that knows the ins and outs of how those things work and what are the appropriate next steps has really been involved in the situation, especially if you're doing direct placement and not involving an agency that might be providing those types of support services as part of their benefits is working with them. Yeah, I think this has been incredibly informative. And I think we've kind of gone through the entire process, because at this point, you know, we're working, you know, into the realm of finalization, and then, you know, the adoption will be final in the eyes of the court. So I'd love it if you would spend just a minute or two talking about any tips that you have for folks that are just starting out in their adoption journey—any words of wisdom or advice that you would give to them?

Dion: Sure. Well, I can tell you that, you know, as not only an adoption attorney who does about 100 adoptions a year, I'd say, but also as an adoptive parent, the process can be very trying, and it's not an easy process; there's a lot to do, and it's very complex. And that's why you need a good team. You need to have a good attorney, and you need to have a good agency that you're working with that's supportive and that understands the process, especially if you're looking interstate. And if you have a good support team, it makes the job that much easier. less anxiety-ridden as it normally would be; I mean, just parenthood in and of itself. It's a journey. So I'm really grateful that I embarked on a journey that has brought me where I've gotten in life. Now, not everybody who goes to an adoption becomes an adoption attorney, but I suppose it couldn't happen. But, um, I would say that, probably as an adult, as an adoptive parent, it's important to be patient; it's important to understand that the birth mother is giving up a great thing. And, you know, usually these situations arise from some sort of less than perfect situation. Adoptive families have their struggles; many are dealing with infertility, and many are dealing with other issues that have made it to a point where maybe adoptions are the only way they're going to be able to build a family. Not always, but some do sometimes. And so there's the pain there, the difficulties that they're dealing with as an adoptive family, but at the same time, the birth parent -- I don't think any birth mother, woman, gets pregnant, thinking, I'm getting pregnant, so I can make an adoption plan in place the child. I think if she could, she would raise that child. But she loves that child, and she wants what's best for that child. And so she gives up, you know, a wonderful gift that she's been given to help another family. So it really is an amazing thing, and some amazing relationships grow out of it. and it's not always easy. But you know, I've always thought that the best things in life aren't always easy. And so I try to keep that in mind and share it with my clients. You know, there are joys and there are heartaches, but I think if you're hanging in there and you can go with it and flow with it, you have to flow with it a little bit, as far as there are ups and downs, so that it ends up being a good thing in the end. 

Amanda: I couldn't agree more about studying as an adoptive parent on the other side of this same call with you. It is so much beauty and so much pain wrapped up. And really, it is. Well, again, thank you so much for sharing with our audience. I would love for them to come and find you and have an adoption opportunity that they would want to work with you on. Where and how can they get in touch with you?

Dion:  I'm on the web. My website is https://www.michigan-adoptions.com/ . Pretty easy to find. I just had my website updated. So hopefully I show up in the searches. You know, I'm also a fellow with the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys. So if you go to the adoption, RT, or adoption IC website, I'm sure it'll be in the notes. You can look up all the adoption attorneys in that academy; they are all vetted and proven to be well versed in adoption law. And because we trust each other with this, that's where I go to find, you know, an attorney in another state. and I know that I know what they're talking about. So I'm there. So, and that's probably the best place to, you know, best place to find me.

Amanda: Thank you. Again, we will list all of the contact information in the show notes so that folks can easily get in touch with you. And we really appreciate your joining us today. Wasn't that an amazing conversation with Dion? I am so thankful that he was willing to give us his time to walk us through the adoption process and to really be an advocate not only for birth families, but for hopeful adoptive families, and to really protect the adoption process in the state of Michigan. And if you're ready to learn how to adopt for every different type of adoption that we covered in today's episode, head on over to my adoptioncoach.com backslash program to check out the private adoption program. The private adoption program is specifically designed to help hopeful adoptive families reduce the overwhelming time and expense of the adoption process. I walk you through each step of the journey, no matter your method of matching, to make it as smooth as possible and to equip you with what questions to ask, what resources to seek out, and really how to be successful in your adoption journey. Remember, my friend, you are worthy of support, and I'm here with you every step of the way. I'll see you soon.

Disclaimer: The information contained herein is not to be considered legal advice. We are not attorneys. Should you wish to hire the attorney mentioned in this post, please contact them directly.