what do you think...this is from the Dr. Laura Show

[RCT]

A woman calls saying that her sixteen year old daughter is pregnant.....the boyfriend is also sixteen...both have decided to sign over thier parental rights to the unborn child and give it up for adoption....GREAT.

The mother of the girl...asked weather she had a moral obligation to the boys parents to tell them of the pregnancy? Dr. Laura said NO....that if the boy is old enough in the State that they live in to legally sign away his parental rights....that the mother of the girl should NOT tell the parents of the BOY about this matter....for fear of interferrance with the Adoption.....


If you were the parents of the Boy what would you think? If you were the parents of the Girl what would you do?

[Lynda/WA]

I think the boy's parents should be told. Preferably by the boy himself.

If I was the girl's parents I'd want to try and support her. This maybe wouldn't even be an issue since I'd like it if she'd keep the baby. Ultimately it would be her decision but I'd want to have at the very least knowledge that the baby was happy.

To be honest I doubt if the boy's parents could do much of anything anyways. They can apply pressure to the boy but that's about it. If he has the legal right to sign away paternal rights I don't think they can over-ride his decision legally.

[JAK]

I agree that the boys parents should be told, and not by the girls parents. Really it should be the boy who tells them. I wonder why he doesn't- are his parents not going to see his girlfriend in the 9 months that she's pregnant?

His parents may not want him to give the baby up, but it's not their chioce. If the law says he can sign away his rights at 16 then they have no control over him signing or not. They may try and change him mind, but in the end he will be the one who has to decide what he's going to do.

[KarlaB]

Wow! I think they should be told, too. If it were me, I would at least want to know about my grandchild and I would like the opportunity to discuss options with my ds. At least to let him talk thru everything with us and have support other than from his girlfriend.

[kacee]

Tough one!!1 If it were my son, I would wring his neck. As for the mother of the girl, I really don't think she should tell. It is the boys place tell his parents though!! It is a shame that boys don't turn purple or blue if they get someone prego!! LOLOL!! They can hide it so easily!!!


I would agree with Dr. Laura on this one!

[Mickey]

Don't know how I missed this, but I'm shocked that anyone who is under the age of 18 can sign a legal document (especially one like this) and have the document be valid. I would have thought it would be like entering into a contract while under age.

Obviously, the boy should tell his parents, but that doesn't look like it's going to happen. I feel that the girl's mother should encourage him to confide in his parents, but if he decided not to in the end, that would be up to him. I wouldn't do it.

I just think it's pretty sad that you can be held legally and financially responsible for your minor child's wrong-doing (car accident, vandalism, theft, etc.), but that child can have an abortion, get on medication (bc pills) and give up parental rights without your ever knowing anything about it. Amazing.

[arianna]

MM! If that's what Dr. Laura said, it must be morally correct and I have to agree with her. She's morally superior to the rest of us and we need her to guide us with her truthful, timetested, truths, witch of course she follows to the letter of the law, just as she has for her entire life. :biglaugh: ßß!

[kat]

Mickey, good points and I agree.
Ari, you're bad, you're so bad.

As a mother of boys, I'd want to know and then I'd wring his neck and love my grandchild. I don't think it is the responsibility of the gir's parents though.