The laws governing parents rights would be by state jurisdiction. Contact your local Legal Aid Society or a legal help line to find out what the laws apply to your situation.
No. You would be signing away your rights to visitation. A parent generally signs away their rights in preparation for a legal adoption.
No he can not.
The father needs to consult with an attorney who can review the situation and determine what the options are.
Yes i am almost positive 8>
No. That can only be done by a court order.
If you can find someone to sign your rights over to, (you do not sign the rights 'away', you transfer them) then US law can allow you to do this. For example if a couple have a child and then get divorced, and the woman later remarries, she can request that the biological father signs their child's rights over to the new husband. The biological father is then no longer responsible for the child, the new husband is. However a biological father cannot simply abandon his right just because he no longer wishes to support his child.
It requires a Motion to the Court for approval.
He will still have to pay child support even though he signs his rights away.
If they are on Welfare, the court will not approve it.
a mother's abondonment starts to have effects right away. The effects can range from slowing their growth, to them actually becoming depressed.
If he doesn't take away visitation rights he should
Why do you need to, unless you are a gatekeeper and that's why he's not around.