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Question: I am 16 my boyfriend is 19 and i think i might be pregnant. can my parents put him in jail because im a minor? is there anything i can do to stop it? and if i move in with him to raise our baby do i have to be emancipated?

Answer:

Sexual conduct with a minor who is over fifteen years of age a class 6 felony (ARS § 13-1405)

The punishment for sexual conduct with a minor varies depending on who the offender is and what kinds of prior convictions they may have. In general, under Arizona Law (ARS § 13-604.01) the minimum punishment for a person convicted of sexual conduct with a minor in the first degree is a term of seventeen years in prison and registration as a sex offender.

 

Parents are responsible for their minor children. Your pregnancy does not mean that you are emancipated and so you are still under your parents' care. See the introductory information on Emancipation on the left side bar of the Speak Up! section on LawForKids.org.
Comments
6 thru 10 of 12 comments
On 11/15/07
Foxy from AZ said:
If you have become pregnant at the age of 16, the situation would be used against you, probably to say that you are unable to make responsible decisions and that it would be unwise to emancipate you. On the other hand, we all make mistakes. If you're willing to accept responsibility for your mistake and enter the real world, perhaps you should be emancipated. My opinion is that I don't believe you should be emancipated. Your boyfriend should know better. I don't mean at all to try to put down or degrade your boyfriend, but seriously, you're only sixteen.
On 11/14/07
danny from AL said:
i think we should be able to do what we want to do when we are pregnant at the age of 16. i say it like this if we get pregnant at the age of 16 - 19 we should be able to make are on desitions
On 08/28/07
Kelsey from AZ said:
IDK...I don't think that your parents should have that decision...it's your choice not theirs!!
On 07/17/07
Mom from AZ said:
Absolutely not, this is unbelieveable! You DO NOT become an adult because of underage pregnancy.
On 07/17/07
sarah from AK said:

gurl i know all to well wut your going threw im turning 17 and hes turning 19 and i fight with my mom all the time and i want to go live with my boyfreind who lives like a five hour drive away half way across the state and my mom wants to charge me rent plus ive already had an abortoin because i was raped and she calls me a bunch of things so i know wut its like.
6 thru 10 of 12 comments


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