Disownment

"Disown" redirects here. For the band, see DISOWN. For unix command, see disown (unix).

Disownment is the formal act or condition of forcibly renouncing or no longer accepting one's consanguineous child as a member of one's family or kin. It differs from giving a child up for adoption both in that it is a social and interpersonal issue (and therefore usually takes place later in the child's life, though children can be disowned by their parents at very young ages as well) and that it does not imply any arrangement for future care. In this sense it is comparable to divorce or repudiation (of a spouse). Disownment may entail disinheritance, familial exile, or shunning, and often a combination of the three. In many modern legal systems, it is considered a form of child abandonment and is against the law in most countries.