What is a stepparent adoption?

A stepparent adoption is one in which a child’s biological parent marries someone who wishes to adopt the biological parent’s child and is able to do so because the other biological parent consents or because consent is unnecessary. If a biological parent does not consent to the adoption, the child cannot be adopted unless a court first finds that the biological parent is unfit. If a biological parent is found unfit, that persons parental rights can be terminated and a child can be adopted.