Hopkins v. South Carolina Department of Social Services

Finney, Justice:

We granted rehearing to reconsider our original opinion which reversed the family court’s refusal to terminate respondent’s (Meyers’) parental rights to his son Michael. We now affirm.

This is a tragic case. Meyers, a Missouri resident, lived with Michael’s mother (Clark) for two months in the fall of 1983 in *324that state. Clark has lived a nomadic lifestyle and has a history of short-term serial relationships with men. In May 1984, six months after leaving Meyers, Clark called him and told him she had given birth to a child, but stated Meyers was not the father. In fact, Michael…