14 LAWS OF MARYLAND [CH. 5

CHAPTER 5
(House Bill 34)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact with amendments Section
82 of Article 16 of the Annotated Code of Maryland
(1951 Edition), title "Chancery, " sub-title "Adoption, "
correcting an error in said section.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of
Maryland, That Section 82 of Article 16 of the Annotated
Code of Maryland (1951 Edition), title "Chancery, " sub-
title "Adoption, " be and the same is hereby repealed and
re-enacted with amendments, to read as follows:

82. (Consent. ) Every petition for adoption shall be ac-
companied by written statements of consent, subscribed
and sworn to before a person authorized by law to ad-
minister an oath, as specified in this section, except that
the court may in its discretion permit any petition to be
filed [with] without a necessary consent if such consent is
added to the petition before the time set for hearings; but
in no event shall an interlocutory or final decree of adop-
tion be made without having the consent required by this
section unless for reasons satisfactory to the court, it shall
appear proper to dispense therewith.

Consent to any proposed adoption shall be obtained from:

(a) the person to be adopted, if he is ten years of age
or over; and also,

(b) both the natural parents, if married, if they are
alive and not lost their paternal rights through court action
or voluntary relinquishment or abandonment; or

(c) one natural parent, if the other is not alive or has
lost his parental rights as mentioned in (b) above; or

(d) the mother of a child born out of wedlock, except
that if the child has been legitimated according to the laws
of any jurisdiction, the consent of the father shall then
also be required, if he is alive and has not subsequently lost
his parental rights through court action or voluntary re-
linquishment or abandonment; or

(e) the mother of a child born in wedlock, if the il-
legitimacy of the child has been established to the satis-

——————

EXPLANATION: Italics indicate new matter added to existing law.

[Brackets] indicate matter stricken from existing law.

CAPITALS indicate amendments to bill.

Strike out indicates matter stricken out of bill.