A Houston adoption attorney might call the story of Christopher Ryan Smith the most unique adoption case anybody has ever heard of. NBC Los Angeles reports that doctors and nurses who have worked for years in labor and delivery have also never seen anything like this.
Two brothers and two sisters are making two sets of parents. The baby, Christopher Smith, was born on February 2 at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth. The biological parents, Joe Villegas and Lindsay Smith, legally gave their baby to the sibling couple Amy and Ryan Smith.
Now the biological mother of the baby is the adoptive father's sister. The baby's biological father is his adoptive mother's brother.
"Everybody deserves a chance to be a parent," Lindsay Smith, the biological mother, told NBC Los Angeles. "It's not that I'm giving it away. We created this child for them. It's theirs."
The couples said that they both agreed to the plan before the pregnancy. Joe and Lindsay already have four children of their own, whereas as Amy and Ryan had been been trying to have a baby of their own for years.
Lindsay now says that she considers herself Christopher's aunt, rather than a mother. The adoptive parents both said that they were very happy for the gift of a child, that so closely resembles themselves.
Because Christopher Ryan Smith's adoption is independent, no agency needs to be involved. Most states, including Texas, allow for independent adoptions but FindLaw reports that most U.S states regulate even the independent adoptions carefully. You can always contact a Houston adoption attorney for more questions about independent adoptions and open adoptions.
Related Resources:
- Who Can Adopt a Child? (FindLaw)
- Guide to Adopting a Child (FindLaw)
- Houston adoption attorney directory (FindLaw)
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