Mississippi Adoption | (601) 850-8000 –

Basic Adoption Statutory law is being amended by legislation. The change is replacing essentially one word with another.

MCA 93-17-3 requires a certificate by a doctor or nurse practitioner stating the adoptive child’s health and mental condition. This provision does not require the adoptive child be healthy, but is instead required so the adoptive parent knows IF there are any health concerns; mental or physical.

The statutory change is replacing “doctor” with “physician.”

The word “physician” in the section means a person licensed under Chapter 25, Title 73, Mississippi Code of 1972.

MCA 25-73-1 holds that “Every person who desires to practice medicine must first obtain a license to do so from the state board of medical licensure…”,

So the law change requires the child be evaluated by a licensed physician or nurse practitioner. This change eliminates “doctors” that are not licensed physicians from doing these certificates.

So Ph.D.s and J.D.s, like myself, are now excluded, by law.

I wonder what happened to prompt this change. It seems common sense as to what the statute meant and required…

Matthew Thompson and Chad King are Adoption and Child Welfare attorneys in the State of Mississippi and have never contemplated submitting a Doctor’s Certificate merely because they hold a Juris Doctorate (Doctor of Jurisprudence). And, don’t call us Doctor!

Adoption is a legal process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person’s biological or legal parents. This permanently transfer all rights, obligations and responsibilities, along with filiation, from the biological parents to the adoptive parents.

Numerous Mississippi children are eligible for adoption right NOW. The Mississippi Dept. of Child Protection Services maintains a list of children legally free for adoption in its Heart Gallery.

Children of all ages, races, backgrounds and situations are eligible for adoption. Some of the children have special educational, emotional, or medical needs. While this information is confidential and does not appear in the children’s descriptions, it will be provided to qualified adoptive placements well prior to any adoption finalization. More detailed information about the child will be shared with interested families as they continue the matching process.

If you are interested in a child featured on the Mississippi Heart Gallery, you may request additional information and inquire about the availability of the child by clicking the child’s bio and completing the inquiry form, emailing the Adoptions Team, or calling the Heart Gallery hotline at (601) 359-4133.

This inquiry will be forwarded to the child’s worker for review and consideration based on the unique needs of the child.

A child eligible from the Heart Gallery could be adopted as soon as a proper match and good fit is established.

Matthew Thompson and Chad King are child welfare and adoption attorneys in the State of Mississippi. They have been a part of hundreds of adoptions in Mississippi throughout the State.

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