Ryznar, Margaret2021-06-222021-06-22200947 Duquesne Law Review 89https://hdl.handle.net/1805/26183This Article argues that both the father and the child should have their relationship protected9 and that the father-child rela- tionship must be properly severed and waived by the biological father before a child is placed for adoption. Part II therefore be- gins by considering the American approach to fathers' rights in contested adoption cases. Part III then examines the contrary English position of favoring immediate severance of legal ties to a child, even if at the expense of obtaining both the mother's and the father's consent. Finally, Part IV analyzes the lessons resulting from a comparison of these two approaches, concluding that to work against fathers' rights is to work against children's interests.en-USArticle