Georgia Code
Article 1 - General Provisions
§ 19-8-10. When Surrender or Termination of Parental Rights of Living Parent Not Required; Service on Parents in Such Cases; Involuntary Termination of Rights

and the court is of the opinion that the adoption is in the best interests of that child, after considering the physical, mental, emotional, and moral condition and needs of the child who is the subject of the proceeding, including the need for a secure and stable home.
and the court is of the opinion that the adoption is in the best interests of that child, after considering the physical, mental, emotional, and moral condition and needs of the child who is the subject of the proceeding, including the need for a secure and stable home.
History. Code 1981, § 19-8-10 , enacted by Ga. L. 1990, p. 1572, § 5; Ga. L. 1991, p. 94, § 19; Ga. L. 1996, p. 474, § 5; Ga. L. 1999, p. 252, § 7; Ga. L. 2000, p. 20, § 11; Ga. L. 2000, p. 1589, § 3; Ga. L. 2013, p. 294, § 4-25/HB 242; Ga. L. 2016, p. 219, § 3/SB 331; Ga. L. 2018, p. 19, § 1-1/HB 159; Ga. L. 2021, p. 151, § 5/HB 154.
The 2016 amendment, effective July 1, 2016, in subsection (a), in the introductory language, substituted “when” for “where”, deleted “or” at the end of paragraph (a)(3), added paragraph (a)(4), and redesignated former paragraph (a)(4) as present paragraph (a)(5).
The 2018 amendment, effective September 1, 2018, rewrote this Code section.
The 2021 amendment, effective July 1, 2021, substituted “perfected, by certified mail or” for “perfected, notwithstanding subsection (a) of Code Section 9-10-12 which authorizes the use of certified mail, by” in the first sentence in paragraph (c)(1), and inserted “certified mail or” in the third sentence in paragraph (c)(1) and in paragraph (c)(1)(B) and inserted “by certified mail,” near the end of paragraph (c)(2).
Editor’s notes.
Ga. L. 2013, p. 294, § 5-1/HB 242, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that: “This Act shall become effective on January 1, 2014, and shall apply to all offenses which occur and juvenile proceedings commenced on and after such date. Any offense occurring before January 1, 2014, shall be governed by the statute in effect at the time of such offense and shall be considered a prior adjudication for the purpose of imposing a disposition that provides for a different penalty for subsequent adjudications, of whatever class, pursuant to this Act. The enactment of this Act shall not affect any prosecutions for acts occurring before January 1, 2014, and shall not act as an abatement of any such prosecutions.”
Law reviews.
For comment discussing Johnson v. Eidson, 235 Ga. 820 , 221 S.E.2d 813 (1976), and advocating a “deprived child” exception to the parental consent requirement in the adoption laws, see 28 Mercer L. Rev. 553 (1977).
For article surveying developments in Georgia domestic relations law from mid-1980 through mid-1981, see 33 Mercer L. Rev. 109 (1981).
For note on the role of a judicial determination of paternity in the inheritance rights of illegitimate children in Georgia, see 16 Ga. L. Rev. 171 (1981).
For survey article on domestic relations, see 34 Mercer L. Rev. 113 (1982).
For article, “Continuing Confusion in the Georgia Adoption Process,” see 20 Ga. St. B.J. 62 (1983).
For article on the 2016 amendment of this Code section, see 33 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 127 (2016).