Cutting Off the Umbilical Cord–Reflections on the Possibility to Sever the Parental Bond

Parenthood is a status comprising exclusivity relating to the rights and responsibilities concerning the child. The rights and obligations imbued in the parental status are evident first and foremost during the child’s minority. Nonetheless, the status has legal meaning and implications that extend beyond the child’s minority and carry on throughout adulthood. By defining parenthood and assigning parental status, the law establishes legal as well as social responsibility towards the child and a bond for life. This article questions the eternal aspect of parenthood and aspires to initiate discussion pertaining to the social and legal conventions that pose parenthood as a binding legal relation and responsibility for life. Today, the law permits the elimination of the parental legal bond in cases of adoption. However, the law is unable to cope with parental void and thus has trouble dealing with relinquishing the parental status in instances that do not involve adoption. This Article’s main concern are these instances. The social-legal principles of the parental bond that are taken for granted are re-examined and a new approach for abrogating the parental bond is offered