Adoption creates a parent-child relationship with all the rights and responsibilities a birth parent has to a child. A child can be adopted by a stepparent in Wisconsin when a birth parent is deceased or the rights of one birth parent has been terminated by the court.
For all other adoptions in Wisconsin the statutes requires that the rights of both birth parents are terminated by a death or by a voluntary or involuntary court action. An adoption home study is required for all adoptions except stepparent adoptions, where a less intensive screening occurs.