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Typically, re/marriage does not endow stepparents with the legal parental rights or responsibilities of bio-parents. For example: unless authorized by a legal doc-ument called "In Loco Parentis" signed by both biopar-ents, typical (non-adoptive) stepparents can't legally de-mand to see their stepkids' school or medical records, and usually don't qualify as a legal guardian in hospital-izing a minor stepchild. If the most loving stepparent dies without a will, their assets will usually not go to their stepchildren. Specific rights and laws vary by state, so ask a local family-law professional to tell you what pertains in your county - ideally before re/marriage! slides / perspective / co-parenting links / Q&A / close |
Stepfamily Reality 27 - Legal Rights