Abstract

Traditionally at common law a termination of parental rights to a child resulted in the corresponding and simultaneous termination of parental responsibilities for that child However a jurisdictional survey of the responsibilities remaining after the termination of parental rights revealed that while not a majority some jurisdictions sever this dyadic coupling Parental financial responsibility remained after the termination of parental rights While perhaps serving the immediate financial needs of the child this study suggests that severing the two results in unacceptable consequences for the child as well as for the parent