Any couple that choses to adopt a child must go through a rigorous background check. Often times, it may take many months or years for an adoption to be successfully completed. Although some states permit single individuals to adopt children, most states do not permit the adoption of a child by a same-sex couple.
Spousal support is defined as a court-ordered obligation to provide support to a former spouse. Spousal support was formerly called alimony in most states. Once a decree of divorce enters, an obligation to pay spousal support will terminate as provided in the parties' support agreement or the court's order.
A postmarital agreement, or postnuptial agreement, is an agreement executed by a husband and wife after they are married.
Sterilization of an incompetent individual is a hotly contested area of the law. Some states permit sterilization requests and others do not. From a traditional standpoint, the decision of whether to sterilize an incompetent individual is a family decision.
At common law, a putative or alleged father of a child produced out of wedlock had no duty to support that child. However, the statutory law changed the common law and required both parents to support the child.
