Almost 18 pregnant “runaway” in Indiana

[Guest]

I’m 17, I will be 18 in July. I’m midterm pregnancy but will not be due until September. I’ve had issues at home for 4 years. I’ve been out in juvenile facilities and have been on probation. I’ve been home for about a year now, i did the work to get off probation. I have my GED and have been supporting myself financially and I rarely stay at home and my parents are fine with it. There is no bond whatsoever with them and they aren’t providing any help besides a roof over my head 1-2 nights a week. The only reason I’m worried about leaving now is because in the past once they realized I didn’t plan on coming home they used it as a way to get me severely punished. They lied to the police about stuff I was doing to make them try harder to find me. But this was years ago. I want to know, if I left a note stating that I was safe and leaving by choice, what is the likelihood that the police would actually pursue the case? Can I be charged with child endangerment being pregnant? And when I come back on the grid after my birthday is there anything that can be done to me as far as legal repercussions at that point?

[ccsmod15]

Thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline, we are always here to listen and help out in any way that we can. You are extremely brave for becoming financially stable and obtaining a GED at the age of 17. Not many people your age are strong enough to do that, and you should be proud of yourself. It is unfortunate to hear that you are having issues at home. We are sorry to hear this, for these things can be tough to deal with, especially while being pregnant.




It is understandable that you would want to leave your home, given the circumstances. However, considering that you are 17 currently, your options are limited. It is important to remember that we are not legal experts but since you are a minor, you would have to live with a legal adult given permission by your parents. Considering you have a past history with juvenile facilities, it’s possible that the status offence of running away could result in a return to the juvenile justice system which may present additional difficulties for you and your unborn child. However, if you are recognizing your home to be an unsafe environment for both you and your child you should reach out to alternate resources. If you recognize forms of abuse at home, then you have the right to file an abuse report through www.childhelp.org.




It is hard to depict the situation based upon the information in the forum. If you would like to discuss other options, feel free to reach out to us. You can call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY or chat with us via the chat feature on our website: www.1800runaway.org. Best of luck!

[Guest]

My main worry is what they could do after my birthday. If I’m not found until after my 18th could there be any legal issues or basis for me to lose custody once my child is here? I’ve been off probation for about 5 months and haven’t had any issues with the law since then.

[ccsmod13]

Hi there,

We are not legal experts and can only speak generally on this. At 18 you are considered a legal adult in most states with the freedom to choose where you live. In most cases, there are no legal consequences for running away and the report expires as soon as you turn 18. However, your situation may be different because of your previous involvement in the juvenile justice system. It could be the most helpful to contact legal aid for more specific answers just to double check that leaving again would not lead to any legal issues. If you call our hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY or through live chat, we would be happy to provide legal aid resources for your state.

Take care,
NRS