The Legal Situation of Minor Parents in Determining the Parentage of their Child and Placing it for Adoption

Abstract

The issue of parentage of minors is one of the contemporary legal challenges. Minor parents have limited legal capacity and remain until the age of majority under the parental authority of their parents, and do not have parental authority over their child. For this reason, it is important to determine whether they can submit declarations necessary for the recognition of paternity, participate in court proceedings related to the determination of their child's parentage, as well as consent to the placement of a child for adoption. The legal situation of minor parents in Polish legal system includes several aspects, such as determining the parentage of the child (by judicial as well as extrajudicial means), placing the child for adoption, parental authority and ongoing custody of the child. This article will further elaborate on the issues related to establishing the child’s parentage as well as placing the child for adoption.