Emancipation of a Pregnant 17 Year Old

[alexis0922]

My question involves emancipation laws for the State of: california
My name is Ashley bash I will be 17 in 2 weeks, i am also 7 months pregnant.
i was taken out of my dads house by DCFS for verbal and physical abuse in august of 08, i was placed in the care of my mother from september 08 till about 2 months ago because she was arrested. My boyfriend curtis has a stable job making $10 dollars an hour, and is getting his own apartment. My mother was going to sign the papers for us to get married, but she was arrested before she could.
I dont want to raise this baby on my own!
and my dad is wanting me to move back in with him, because im a minor. and i dont want to get DCFS involved again, but if i have too i have too! So thats why i am asking you what do i do about this whole situation.
I would have a place to go, and would be taken care of by the father of my child!
i have been looking into emancipation for a while now just didnt know how to go about it!
please help me as much as you can!
thankyou,
Ashley Bash

[CourtClerk]

How old is this boyfriend of yours?

You should in fact involve DCFS, and they will ensure that you have a suitable residence in order to stay until you reach the age of majority. As someone who used to work for DCFS, I can guarantee you, your boyfriend's house won't be anywhere on the list of places for you to go.

Your boyfriend broke the law by having sex with an (at least) 16 year old. The age of consent in CA is 18. This means you were legally incapable of giving consent and your boyfriend has raped you. We don't allow children to go live with their rapists in this state.

Further, emancipation requires that you be able to support YOURSELF, without the help of anyone else. You've made absolutely no mention of having a job YOURSELF, having YOUR OWN place to stay, plans on how you ARE (in fact) going to be raising this child alone. You've made no mention of what provisions you've made for the financial rearing of this child, let alone medical insurance and health care for you or the baby (which I assume I and the rest of the taxpayers will be paying for).

Less than 1% of people who petition for are granted emancipation. Courts simply will not emancipate an irresponsible 16 year old knocked up little girl. You need MORE supervision, not less.

By the way, when reality sets in, you'll find just how little $10/hr is when there is another mouth to feed.

[alexis0922]

I didnt get pregnant out here i got pregnant in florida which is where i am right now!
and my boyfriend did not rape me if my mother let him move in with us!
technically she gave him permission to sleep in the same room as me what did she expect was going to happen?
and he just turned 18 so yeah!
we have also been dating for over a year and 5 months now. so my parents gave us permission to date!
and i know how to take care of a baby. this is not my first one!
my daughter kassandra passed away when she was 4 months.
so yeah, and i have no other family member that would be willing to take me in. I am staying with a friend at the moment!
So i really think and so does all my other family, that i should move in with my boyfriend. they want him to be there for his child!
and i would think anyone would want to raise there child with two parents not just one!
But thanks anyways!

[CourtClerk]

I have no idea what you think your point is.

The age of consent in Florida is ALSO 18, and they are MUCH tougher on statutory rape than CA will ever be. So if you think that you were doing him a favor by mentioning you got pregnant in FL, you didn't make his case better, you made it WORSE.

Your mother can't legally give permission for you to prostitute yourself out either. You can't give consent, and your mother can't give consent for you. So both lover boy AND your mother could end up in PRISON for you continually getting knocked up. This is not at least the second provable case of rape in your situation, and we won't even mention the times you two had sex and you didn't get preganant. Each and every one of those occurrences is a separate charge.

But you supposedly know how to take care of a baby (but don't know how not to get pregnant). Go ahead and try your argument on me. I mean, after all I clerked in the courtroom that hears emancipation petitions.

What's your plan... that DOESN'T include your boyfriend. Include your current income, your plans for housing, health care and transportation (that doesn't include government intervention or any other third party). We'll how strong of an argument you have.

[jk]

and my boyfriend did not rape me if my mother let him move in with us!

legally, yes he did and your mother allowed it. That makes her an accomplice to the act and guilty of not protecting her child.

technically she gave him permission to sleep in the same room as me

see first answer

what did she expect was going to happen?

see first answer

and he just turned 18 so yeah!

the he may get to go to big boys prison. They really do not like child molesters in big boy jail. They often show the molesters what it is like to be raped, again, and again, and again...

we have also been dating for over a year and 5 months now. so my parents gave us permission to date!

see first answer

and i know how to take care of a baby. this is not my first one!

so you did not learn anything from getting pregnant the first time? There are methods that prevent pregnancy.

my daughter kassandra passed away when she was 4 months.

Sorry to hear that. I am sure it is a difficult thing to deal with.

so yeah, and i have no other family member that would be willing to take me in.

but there is help available for you.

So i really think and so does all my other family, that i should move in with my boyfriend.

they are all lacking brain cells? you are a kid wanting to move in with a very young person that makes less than I spend on just a house payment and you think he can support himself, you , and the child? What are you going to do if the child needs medical attention? You do know they will require daddy to pay child support out of that $10/hour, yes?

they want him to be there for his child!

and he should be but you do not have to live with him for him to be there for his child.

and i would think anyone would want to raise there child with two parents not just one!

there is much more than simply 2 parents to make this thing work.

Obviously you are not going to listen to anybody other than those that might say

"you go girl" "you can make it work"

so I do not know why I bother to say anything or really, why you are even here. You are a kid. You need much more than your boyfriend (the molester) can provide you at this time. The fact he feels it is OK to date and have sex with a 14 or 15 year old shows his lack of maturity. The fact that your parents allowed the two of you to sleep together shows their lack of common sense and any respect for you.

Find some real help because what you seek now is not the way to get anywhere in life.

[Harumia]

Well, i think that the last two ppl were just rude and not giving you the real truth just their personal opinions. Even if you cant consent to sex, which i believe isn't true but i live in indiana, if you make a strong enough case he wouldn't get in trouble for having sex with you. Another point i would like to make is that you are almost an adult anyways, so you need to be making your own decisions especially ones that concern your child. I would suggest that if you don't think anyone is going to call the police on your bf, why don't u just move in with him now? Staying at a friend's house can't be much different. But i would also suggest that you get a job too, but emancipation seems pretty unlikely. If you ARE 17 and you aren't living with either of your parents anyways who cares if it's one more year. If you were taken away from your dad, he cant make you come back. Technically now that your mom is arrested you should be in foster care, but it shows just how much the police really care about an almost grown pregnant girl. Emancipation is definitely not the way to go though. For many reasons. One by the time the case goes through more than likely you will be almost 18 anyways. Two the douche bags had one point that it's very unlikely for a court to grant you emancipation, not because you need more supervision, but because of the cost you might potentially face as an adult. ex. Health care for you and your new family, food, diapers, blah blah. And realistically on 10 dollars an hour your bf cant get you and your baby health care so you'd have to go on welfare, which isnt as bad as everyone makes it seem. and "courtclerk" everyone pays taxes. get over it. Pregnant teenagers are not ruining your life. It happens, and it's natural. Anyways, if you really want to do something legal i would get a social worker if you dont already have one, and talk to her about your bf temporarily being able to take care of you til you're 18 if he wants that responsibility. But he would be acting as your parent, and whatever he told you to do you would have to listen which as a girlfriend and a new mother i couldnt see you wanting to do. But that is an option. The only thing with that is that parents, or whoever legally has custody of you now would have to sign the papers for you to go live with him. Your boyfriend is not a pedofile because he got his 16 year old girlfriend pregnant, and that is the stupidest thing i have ever heard. It was irresponsible, and unwise but i doubt the police care about petty little things like that. Maybe if you were 6 or 7

honestly, why would she listen to you when you are calling the father of her child a molester. He's not that much older than her really, and teenager or not she's a human and a woman now so it's disrespectful on your part. Obviously she's not just some delinquent out the streets, but her parents are messed up. I'm not saying "you go girl" or "you can do it" but she's not a kid or a little girl. She did a grown up thing and now she needs to face grown up consequences, so if you aren't going to help, why even reply? Go find a life or go raise your own child not to get pregnant at 17 and maybe you won't feel the need to provide useless remarks to other women.

[divemedic]

To the previous poster: you are wrong. Emancipation is not so little girls can play house. No court will emancipate a pregnant minor with no job and no place to live. No mother can give her daughter or her daughter's boyfriend permission to break the law.

For a first time poster, you seem set to attack members here who have MUCH more experience and legal knowledge than you do, and you are the one who has filled your post with opinion on things which you obviously know little.

[jk]

Well, i think that the last two ppl were just rude and not giving you the real truth just their personal opinions..

Indiana Laws aren't California laws. If you aren't going to bother to seek proper information, at least do not provide incorrect information, which you have.

OP has received legally correct info, just not from you.

Yes, at 17 she is a kid, both legally and by community standards. She has not reached the age of majority so she is limited in her actions by law. She is very young, mentally, so her decisions are not tempered with any wisdom that comes with age.

and neither of my daughters were pregnant at 17. I do know how to teach my children where a child comes from so they did not get pregnant.

you and your baby health care so you'd have to go on welfare, which isnt as bad as everyone makes it seem.

yes it is. In fact, it is extremely difficult to raise a family on welfare. Additionally, I am paying for her and I do not wish to pay to raise some other persons child when I had nothing to do with enjoying the part that got her here to begin with. I paid to raise my own children and expect everybody else to do the same.

I'm not saying "you go girl" or "you can do it"

actually, that is precisely what you have said.