Mass. Gen. Laws » Part II Title III Chapter 210
Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 210, § 6 (2026)

Decree of court; force and effect; private hearings

✓ current as of July 2026
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Section 6. If the court is satisfied of the identity and relations of the persons, and that the petitioner is of sufficient ability to bring up the child and provide suitable support and education for it, and that the child should be adopted, it shall make a decree, by which, except as regards succession to property, all rights, duties and other legal consequences of the natural relation of child and parent shall thereafter exist between the child and the petitioner and his kindred, and such rights, duties and legal consequences shall, except as regards marriage, incest or cohabitation, terminate between the child so adopted and his natural parents and kindred or any previous adopting parent; but such decree shall not place the adopting parent or adopted child in any relation to any person, except each other, different from that before existing as regards marriage, or as regards rape, incest or other sexual crime committed by either or both. The court may also decree such change of name as the petitioner may request. If the person so adopted is of full age, he shall not be freed by such decree from the obligations imposed by section six of chapter one hundred and seventeen and section twenty of chapter two hundred and seventy-three.

In evaluating whether a petitioner is of sufficient ability to provide suitable support for the child, the court shall give consideration to assurances by the department of children and families that it will provide an adoption subsidy for the child.

No decree shall be made under this section until there has been filed in the court a statement, signed and sworn to by the petitioner, or petitioners, setting forth the date of birth and place of residence of each adopting parent and such other facts relating to each such parent as would be required by section thirteen of chapter forty-six for the correction of the record of the birth of the person sought to be adopted, and also a copy of the birth record of such person; provided, that in case such person has been previously adopted, either a copy of the record of his birth amended to conform to the previous decree of adoption or a copy of such decree may be so filed; and, provided further, that the filing of any such copy may be dispensed with if the judge is satisfied that it cannot be obtained.

Every decree of adoption entered by the court shall include the words ''This adoption is final and irrevocable.''

The probate judge may determine that the hearing on any adoption petition shall be held in chambers. He shall, on the request of any party to an adoption proceeding, hold the hearing thereon in chambers, except that if said petition is contested, the consent of the other party or parties shall be required. No person shall be allowed to be present at any such hearing unless his presence is necessary either as a party or as a witness, and the probate judge shall exclude the general public from the hearing.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 27 cases (2 in the last 5 years), 1927–2025 · leading case: Adoption of Vito, 728 N.E.2d 292 (Mass. 2000).
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Adoption of Vito, 728 N.E.2d 292 (Mass. 2000). · cites it 5× “” G. L. c. 210, § 6 (1998 ed.). This provision strongly suggests that in ordinary circumstances adoption is meant to sever most enforceable obligations involving the biological parent with the child.”
Adoption of Tammy, 619 N.E.2d 315 (Mass. 1993). · cites it 6× “At the most practical level, adoption will entitle Tammy to inherit from Helen's family trusts and from Helen and her family under the law of intestate succession (G.L.c. 210, § 6), to receive support from Helen, who will be legally obligated to provide such support (G.”
Adoption of Rico, 905 N.E.2d 552 (Mass. 2009). · cites it 2× “And the same would be true of adoptive parents if the judge presiding over the adoption proceeding, see G. L. c. 210, § 6, were to enter a decree (or continue an earlier decree) for postadoption visitation with the biological parents.”
Adoption of Ilona, 944 N.E.2d 115 (Mass. 2011). “Blixt, supra, G. L. c. 210, § 6 (with exceptions not relevant here, in adoption, “all rights, duties and other legal consequences of the natural relation of child and parent shall thereafter exist” between child and adoptive parent, and shall terminate between child and natural…”
Adoption of Dora, 754 N.E.2d 720 (Mass. App. Ct. 2001). · cites it 2× “It was not appropriate, however, to leave the choice of adoptive placement to the discretion of DSS subject only to review by the adoption judge under G. L. c. 210, § 6. Review under section 6 by the adoption judge is an inadequate substitute for the thorough review which…”
Sec'y of the Commonwealth v. City Clerk of Lowell, 366 N.E.2d 717 (Mass. 1977). · cites it 2× “G.L.c. 210, § 6. See Curran, petitioner, 314 Mass.”
Lockwood v. Adamson, 566 N.E.2d 96 (Mass. 1991). · cites it 5× “John Smith (hereafter referred to collectively as the Adamson appellees), first, that the term “issue” does not include such an adoptee, and, second, that G. L. c. 210, §§ 6, 7 (1988 ed.), 3 preclude the child from *327 sharing in the testamentary class gift.”
T.F. v. B.L., 813 N.E.2d 1244 (Mass. 2004). “209C, § 1 (person who is adjudicated father of child bom out of wedlock); G. L. c. 210, § 6 (person who adopts child).”
Bezio v. Patenaude, 410 N.E.2d 1207 (Mass. 1980). “” G. L. c. 210, § 6. In contrast, when a guardian is appointed the parent-child relationship remains intact, and the parent is deprived of custody only by consent or if found “unfit to have such custody.”
Adoption of Cadence, 961 N.E.2d 123 (Mass. App. Ct. 2012). “Moreover, where the judge lacks sufficient information to determine what plan serves the child’s best interests, it is not appropriate for the judge “to leave the choice of adoptive placement to the discretion of [the department] subject only to review by the adoption judge…”
Commonwealth v. Rahim, 805 N.E.2d 13 (Mass. 2004). “Although the issue is not presented in this case, we note that statutory language in the adoption statute, G. L. c. 210, § 6, specifically demonstrates the Legislature’s intent that adoptive children be treated as consanguineous for the purpose of the criminal incest prohibition.”
Adoption of Marlene, 822 N.E.2d 714 (Mass. 2005). “To the extent there is any ambiguity in the effect of § 2, resolution of that ambiguity is informed by the fact that the Legislature is unlikely to have relieved a biological parent of the existing duty of support by inference.”
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