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troubled teen · May 6, 2007, 11:29 PM

Hey I am a 15 year old girl. I having been dating a 19year old guy for the last year. We are sexually active, I am on the pill. If I was pregnant and I did not want to terminate my unborn child would I have a choice or would my parents decide?

Krs · May 7, 2007, 02:22 AM

Depends on where you live, however I think 16 is the legal age almost everywhere... some places are also 18 yrs of age.

froggy7 · May 7, 2007, 05:23 AM

I don't know the answer to your question, but you do need to think carefully about the situation that you are potentially getting into. If you were to get pregnant, would you be willing and able to take care of it, 24/7? Or would you be expecting your parents to take care of the child so that you can continue going out with friends, going to school, etc. If it's the latter, why wouldn't you think that the parents have a right to decide whether they want to take on that responsibility?

Emland · May 7, 2007, 05:51 AM

If your are considering getting pregnant, it would serve you well to find out what the consent laws are in your state. The state could charge your boyfriend with statutory rape if you end up pregnant.

Please allow yourself the time to be young. If you think your life is troubled now, adding a baby to the mix isn't going to make it less complicated.

J_9 · May 7, 2007, 05:53 AM

Originally Posted by Emland

If you think your life is troubled now, adding a baby to the mix isn't going to make it less complicated.

Heck NO!! An infant will only make your life MORE complicated.

Now, because you are 15, your parents have the authority to sign consent for your medical treatment, in most states you do not.

LadyB · May 7, 2007, 08:26 AM

Your parents cannot force you to have an abortion in any state. They may need to sign consents if you chose to terminate, depending on your state, but they cannot force you to terminate. Those are two different situations.

Please do everything you can to avoid pregnancy. If you are on the pill, also use a condom. You really don't want to be a mother yet.

alkalineangel · May 7, 2007, 08:33 AM

Yes, only YOU can decide to abort it.. no one can make you... but I would advise against keeping a child at such a young age... not that abortion is always the best answer... it depends on the person.

xxAngskixx · May 7, 2007, 08:42 AM

Originally Posted by troubled teen

Hey i am a 15 year old girl. i having been dating a 19year old guy for the last year. we are sexually active, i am on the pill. if i was pregnent and i did not want to terminate my unborn child would i have a choice or would my parents decide?

Its your choice not your parents! I know that for a fact because my sisters have all been teenage mums at 15, 17 and17 (in England)

J_9 · May 7, 2007, 09:45 AM

No, parents cannot physically FORCE an abortion on a young girl, however, depending on the parenting style mental and emotional coertion, can come into play, I have seen it on many occasions.

talaniman · May 7, 2007, 10:19 AM

I don't think any one can force you to have an abortion, but should you become pregnant and decide to keep the baby, a whole new set of problems will confront you, and your parents will have a whole lot to say about them since you are a minor dependent on them. Bottom line is wait until you are mature and independent before taking on such large responsibility.

Keephimaway · May 7, 2007, 12:43 PM

Legally absolutely NO ONE can force you to do anything you don't want to regarding your pregnancy. Once the baby is born it's a bit of a different story though.

froggy7 · May 7, 2007, 05:15 PM

And apparently in some places (based on other posts on this forum I have read) the parents can force a minor to put the baby up for adoption if the minor is under a certain age. Which makes a certain sort of sense... if the law is going to make the minor's parents responsible for the baby, surely one of their options should be to place it for adoption.

Sunshine2 · May 7, 2007, 05:54 PM

Originally Posted by troubled teen

Hey i am a 15 year old girl. i having been dating a 19year old guy for the last year. we are sexually active, i am on the pill. if i was pregnent and i did not want to terminate my unborn child would i have a choice or would my parents decide?

It is your body and you always have a choice. No one, even your parents can force you to terminate your pregnancy. If you are taking precautions, you probably will not get pregnant. If you should though, there is tons of support out there for you and plenty of families who would love to adopt.

Keephimaway · May 7, 2007, 06:54 PM

Originally Posted by froggy7

And apparently in some places (based on other posts on this forum I have read) the parents can force a minor to put the baby up for adoption if the minor is under a certain age. Which makes a certain sort of sense... if the law is going to make the minor's parents responsible for the baby, surely one of their options should be to place it for adoption.

I'm pretty sure that can't be true. If someone forced a mother to sign away her legal rights to a child it would be setting up all kinds of legal issue's in the future when the mother is of age and can testify that she didn't do it willfully. Not to mention being ethically wrong.

froggy7 · May 7, 2007, 07:37 PM

Originally Posted by Keephimaway

I'm pretty sure that can't be true. If someone forced a mother to sign away her legal rights to a child it would be setting up all kinds of legal issue's in the future when the mother is of age and can testify that she didn't do it willfully. Not to mention being ethically wrong.

It's a sticky ethical situation. Is it right for a minor child to have a kid (or, in this case, she could techically have up to 3 of them before the parents would be able to say that she was on her own) and to be able to dump them on her parents to take care of? On the other hand, it does raise a sticky issue about the mother deciding to contest the adoption in the future. Looking at from strictly an ethical/moral viewpoint, if the minor is not considered mature enough to make decisions for herself, we expect the parents to step in and make them for her. Why is it ethically wrong for them to make a decision about adopting the grandchild out, and not ethically wrong for the minor to force the grandparents to assume a parental role for her child? On the other other hand, morally I have a hard time with them being able to force the minor child to abort, and legally I don't think that they can do that.

Of course, an alternative is to allow the minor's parents to emancipate their minor child so that she could go get a job and take care of the baby. Which might be harsh, but if children are going to play at grown-up games, they should think about the consequences first.

J_9 · May 7, 2007, 07:47 PM

Actually, once a girl has a baby she is responsible for the health of the baby. Now, if she is a minor and needs surgery, for instance, her parents must still sign consent, but if her baby would need surgery, SHE is the one who signs consent.

It pretty much works the same with adoption. Once the gal has the baby she is somewhat considered emancipated and is the full and complete caretaker of the child, she is the parent, no one can make her put the baby up for adoption if she does not want it, even her parents as they are not the parents of the infant.

amber_gilbert · Jul 17, 2007, 03:14 AM

My cousin is 18 and just had a baby, and I think she would tell you to wait, and so would I. first of all, there is a lot of responsibility. Babies don't stay babies forever. Its at least an 18 year job, and nowadays, through college and all, it can be a 20 or more. Think long and hard, I'm 19 and I don't want a baby, its expensive and very tome consuming. Plus, you're their role model. Not a good thing to be when you're still in the parying stage. PLEASE BE CAREFUL good luck w/e happens