Gov. Larry Rhoden has signed a bill that clarifies a father’s parental rights and makes changes to the adoption process.
The law applies to parental rights in cases where the mother and father are unwed.
Rep. John Hughes of Sioux Falls introduced the measure, which he described as "an adoption bill."
It specifies the actions a father must take to establish his rights, including voluntarily offering child care or financial support.
It also reduces the required wait time to terminate parental rights from 60 days to 15 days, essentially speeding up the adoption process.
Hughes said it strengthens the rights of birthmothers who choose adoption while also removing ambiguity over the rights of birthfathers. It also removed references describing the child as "illegitimate," which Hughes called "archaic and offensive."
The bill saw broad support in the Legislature, though some opponents objected to the reduction of the wait time for adoption, arguing it limited the birthfather's rights.