§ 93-15-123. Court discretion not to terminate
Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the court may exercise its discretion not to terminate the parent’s parental rights in a proceeding under this chapter if the child’s safety and welfare will not be compromised or endangered and terminating the parent’s parental right is not in the child’s best interests based on one or […]
§ 93-15-125. Compliance with Indian Child Welfare Act
In any proceeding under this chapter, where the court knows or has reason to know that an Indian child is involved, the court must comply with the Indian Child Welfare Act (25 USCS Section 1901 et seq.) in regard to notice, appointment of counsel, examination of reports or other documents, remedial services and rehabilitation programs, […]
§ 93-15-127. Effect on another parent’s rights
Termination under this chapter of a parent’s parental rights does not affect the parental rights of another parent.
§ 93-15-129. Petitions involving sexual abuse or serious bodily injury treated as preference case
In any case where a child has been removed from the custody and care of the parent due to sexual abuse or serious bodily injury to the child, or is not living in the home of the offending parent, the court shall treat the petition for termination of parental rights as a preference case to […]
§ 93-15-131. Post-judgment proceedings
If the court does not terminate the parent’s parental rights, the custody and care of the child shall continue with the person, agency, or institution that is holding custody of the child at the time the judgment is rendered, or the court may grant custody to the parent whose rights were sought to be terminated […]
§ 93-15-133. Review by Supreme Court
Appeal from a final judgment on the termination of parental rights under this chapter shall be to the Supreme Court of Mississippi pursuant to the Mississippi Rules of Appellate Procedure.
§ 93-15-119. Involuntary termination in chancery court for reasons of abandonment, desertion, or parental unfitness to raise the child; standard of proof
A court hearing a petition under this chapter may terminate the parental rights of a parent when, after conducting an evidentiary hearing, the court finds by clear and convincing evidence: That the parent has engaged in conduct constituting abandonment or desertion of the child, as defined in Section 93-15-103, or is mentally, morally, or otherwise […]
§ 93-15-121. Grounds for termination
Any of the following, if established by clear and convincing evidence, may be grounds for termination of the parent’s parental rights if reunification between the parent and child is not desirable toward obtaining a satisfactory permanency outcome: The parent has been medically diagnosed by a qualified mental health professional with a severe mental illness or […]
§ 93-15-101. Short title
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Mississippi Termination of Parental Rights Law.”
§ 93-15-103. Definitions
For purposes of this chapter, unless a different meaning is plainly expressed by the context, the following definitions apply: “Abandonment” means any conduct by the parent, whether consisting of a single incident or actions over an extended period of time, that evinces a settled purpose to relinquish all parental claims and responsibilities to the child. […]