Ask Me Help Desk - Help me please!

Hey my girlfriend is 16 and pregnant, the baby isent mine. And she is really worried that something is going to go wrong. Her mom doesn't care if eighter her or the baby have problems and die. She told me that sense she is only 16 her mom has ALL the say is what goes on. Like if she can get a epidermal or not and that kind of stuff. We live in Ohio. Can someone please tell me what all rights she has? And possible ways to get rights if she doesn't have them? Or at least point me to a site where I might find out. The faster the info the better. -thanks josh

Hi,
Since your girlfriend is underage (18 in Ohio), there really isn't much say-so on her part. She can have a abortion (which I know you didn't mention and are not asking about) in Ohio, without parental consent. She only has to notify a parent, but doesn't have to have consent.
Your best bet for legal information would be to go to your local hospital, and talk with a nurse.
If you are also underage, they might not talk with you about it, but it's worth a shot. I could not find anything on the web in searching.
He/she could then tell you who to talk with from there.
I do wish you the best, and hope everything turns out OK.

Quote:

Originally Posted by josh018

Hey my girlfriend is 16 and pregnat, the baby isent mine. And she is really worried that something is going to go wrong. Her mom doesnt care if eighter her or the baby have problems and die. She told me that sence she is only 16 her mom has ALL the say is what goes on. Like if she can get a epidermal or not and that kind of stuff. We live in Ohio. Can someone please tell me what all rights she has? and possible ways to get rights if she doesnt have them? Or atleast point me to a site where i might find out. The faster the info the better. -thanks josh

Your girlfriend has options since you live in Ohio. Her mother is WRONG.

Look at this website: http://www.acluohio.org/issues/teen_...een_health.htm

Your girlfriend has the right to petition the court to intervene and do what is best for her health. I think she should start to do this now, so she will get the epidermal when she is in labour.

Ok thanks for the help. And she doesn't want a abortion. Her mom said the only way she could get anything is if she signed adoption papers before she had it. But she wants to keep it. But thnks.

Your welcome.

Tell your girlfriend to try and be brave and have courage to stand up against her mother.

It is sad when people have children and then treat them so bad.

Yeah I am really pissed off by it. Now her mom is yelling at her to get a job and buy her own food and to pay for the visits to the doctors wich is only $3 a visit. And I haven't been able to look at that site yet my computer is really messed up. If I had the money I would tell her she could move in with me. But me and my mom live on $500 a month. Plus she is only 16 I don't think she can move out without getting anmicapited.

She may wish to contact children services and also the welfare system for aid to expentent mothers. They offer help to pregnant women in many ways including food vouchers.

Also if home is just not livable, she may try contacting children services since she is a "child" by age standards.

I'm assuming that you are not much older that she is, so both of you are not certain of what education, future, expectations, financial security, responsibilities you plan on now or for later. Is this the girl you can picture yourself growing old with? How do your parents feel about it all? If this is not your child, can you live with this fact and accept a ready made family at your age? If this put a damper on your education and future plans, then be very careful or you will regret it for the remainder of your life. You sound like a very caring person and want to help her out, but are you sure she'll appreciate your efforts or move on after getting all she could from her 'knight in shining armor'? You have to realistically sit down with her and ask her what she expects from you, and herself and her future for that matter. Unless this is at least planned out a little, she will probably play with feelings of others and financial organizations forever, (probably learning such from her mother) from the sound of it. It's hard to break a pattern that has been set by a mother with an attitude like that and if she is hurt (which is only right - with a mother like that) then she probably does not have much confidence and will not instill a positive outlook for you or herself and the child. See if you can help her seek professional help, get a good education and stay a friend, but until she has her head on straight, I wouldn't go any further from now on. If she can find a job, let her do it, pregnancy is not an illness, and she will need money to feed the baby if she does not want to give it up. Taking one day at a time and expecting others to help her out all the time is not right and she needs to realize that. Do the best you can to guide her in the right direction and get her to be independent and proud of herself for achieving this. No matter what your choice is I wish you both (three of you) the best. Belated Happy New Year!

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