It is clear that the separation of a child from its natural
parents is a tragedy that society must do its best to prevent or mitigate. It
is also clear that in certain cases the actual separation may be better for the
child than to continue living with a parent whose conduct and character make
him unworthy of this sacred function, for the Guardian has explicitly stated
that the severing of family ties and renunciation of responsibilities between
parents and the children is, in certain cases, permissible under the Law of
God, but that the Universal House of Justice has to make the law governing such
matters.
Whenever the law of the land or the agreement of adoption
prohibits future contact between an adopted child and its natural parents, the
Bahá'í law does not require the child to seek the consent of those parents to
its marriage.
In the situation, however, where contact with the natural
parent is permitted, it should be a matter of wise discretion at what stage
contact, in cases where it has been broken, should be re- established. Just as
love for one person need not reduce the love one bears to another, so unity
with the adoptive parents need not destroy or reduce the unity a child has with
its natural parents, or vice versa. The characters and attitudes of the
individuals concerned will have an effect upon this..."
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 17 February 1971 to an individual believer;
compilation: ‘Lights of Guidance’)
