runing away

[Guest]

i just turned 15 last week and i live with my grandparents cuz my mom and dad dont want me. But my grandparents hate my boyfriend and he is my world. ive been thinking about running away but i dont wanna get caught and get him in trouble. I herd that in a couple states if you are pregnant you can get married with out you parents signature. so if he gets me pregnant would it be legal if we ran away to a state that would allow us to get married? If we did end up getting caught then could they do anything about it if we all ready got married? im so confused and i really wanna do this. we have been together for 2 years going on 3 now and i dont want us to break up.

[ccsmod3]

Re: runing away

Thank you for taking the time to share your story with us at the National Runaway Switchboard. It sounds like you have been thinking a lot about running away. It must be hard to feel like your parents did not want you and you stated that your grandparents hate your boyfriend so it sounds like you have dealt with a lot. In what ways are you currently coping with all of this? Have you considered talking to someone about all of this? Is there another family member, teacher, counselor, or friend that you feel comfortable discussing with?

In most states it is not considered illegal to runaway. However, most states consider harboring a runaway a crime. Some states also have laws against transporting a minor across state lines as this sometimes falls under contributing to the delinquency of a minor. You stated that you recently turned 15, what about your boyfriend, how old is he? You mentioned concern about him getting in trouble. Are you and he willing to take that risk? Even if your grandparents were to file a runaway report and the police were to find you, unless you have done something illegal or are very far away from home, they would generally just send you back.

As far as getting married without parental signature, we are not legal experts so we can not account to whether that is true or not. You stated that you have heard in a couple of states if you are pregnant you can get married without parental signature. Generally, even states that allow minors to get married require some type of parental or guardian involvement and follow a court process. Do you think your grandparents would agree to that?

You asked if your boyfriend gets you pregnant if it would be legal to run away to a state that would allow you to get married. Have you discussed all of this with your boyfriend? How would the two of you provide for a child? Are you or your boyfriend working? How would all of you be financially supported? How do you think your grandparents would react if you became pregnant? Again, we cannot account for the legality of your question, but most states require you to be a resident in that state in order to obtain a legal marriage license. Also, even if you run away to a different state, runaway reports go into something called the NCIC, National Crime Information Center, which means that it would still be active in a different state.

If you would like specific information for your state we would be happy to provide you with some legal aid resources for your area. You are welcome to call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY. We are anonymous, confidential, and available 24/7. In the mean time we wish you luck.

-NRS