Pregnant And Need Documentation

[Unregistered]

I ran away from home when I was almost 19. I couldn't take living with my parents for personal reasons and so left to stay with my boyfriend and his mother. When I got pregnant I understood the importance of acquiring documents if I wanted to get a job or receive government assistance of any kind.I left before I could get my state ID upon turning 18. Now that I want one I need a birth certificate in order to receive it. I have my social security card and have just recently contacted my mother through phone and she gave me a copy of my birth certificate but it's a photocopy and I can't use it. That is also the only thing she has for me. I contacted the city hall in the city where I was born and they confirmed that I need a state ID in order to receive my copy of my birth certificate. A social security card is not enough. And I have no other forms of ID besides an expired high school ID from when I graduated in 2014 but that's not good enough either. And once again no state ID! And I don't have a passport or anything worth 4 points that I can use to get my ID. I have an appointment for prenatal care in just a week and have no identification but a photocopy of a birth certificate that they most likely won't accept. I have not yet began prenatal care and I am about 6 months.

How else can I get my birth certificate or state ID? When trying to apply for it online they ask for credit card information and I have to use my boyfriend's because I don't have a bank card but it says that the person applying for the certificate has to be the one with the card as in the name and address has to match the person applying. I'm stuck and don't know what to do!

BTW my mother does not want to apply for my birth certificate herself as in requesting it for me neither does she want to put her credit card information online. And I do not want to have to go to court over a birth certificate that I have every right to request for myself!

Is there a way I can send a letter or something what can I do?

Is it possible that I can go to New Orleans and apply for it in person? The only issue is I don't want to go all the way there and be turned back around because not only will it be a waste of money that is hard enough to come by but it will also be a waste of time and ill be back at square 0.

[ccsmod15]

Re: Pregnant And Need Documentation

Hi there,

Thanks for contacting the National Runaway Safeline. We’re really glad you reached out and we will do our best to help you out in any way we can.

We’re so sorry to hear about this extremely frustrating situation. We can’t imagine how stressful this has got to be for you while you are trying to get some prenatal care. Unfortunately we are not legal experts here, but we’ll do the best we can to help you. If you know what hospital you were born in, you could try contacting them to see if they are able to help you out. We cannot say for sure whether or not that will work, but it is certainly worth a shot. Also, the Department of Health and Hospitals for Louisiana provides a list of approved primary and secondary documents that you could look over in case there are any that you are unaware of. (http://new.dhh.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/page/634/n/235).
Another option you could try is calling the Planned Parenthood hotline at 1.800.230.7526. They might be able to help you find care in your area or provide you with additional prenatal care information.

Thanks again for reaching out. We can’t imagine how frustrating this must be for you and we hope this offered you some help. If you wish to talk about your situation further, please feel free to reach out again through live chat at 1800RUNAWAY.org or our 24/7 hotline at 1.800.RUNAWAY(786.2929). We wish you the best of luck and hope to hear from you soon!

Best,
NRS