Adoption is the legal process in which a person assumes responsibility for the health, safety, well-being, and financial support of another person—usually a child—and terminates the rights and responsibilities of the adopted person’s biological parent or parents.
In New Mexico, adoption is governed by state statutes that outline the legal process by which an individual or couple can become the legal parents of a child, thereby assuming all responsibilities for the child's welfare. This process terminates the legal rights and responsibilities of the child's biological parents. New Mexico law requires that prospective adoptive parents go through a home study process, obtain necessary legal consents, and receive court approval for the adoption to be finalized. The state allows for various types of adoption, including agency adoptions, independent adoptions, stepparent adoptions, and kinship adoptions. The process is designed to ensure the best interests of the child are met and that the adoption is in compliance with all applicable laws. Once an adoption is finalized, the adoptive parents have the same rights and responsibilities as if the child were born to them, and the child gains the right to inherit from the adoptive parents.