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16 pregnant

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16needhelp

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? MN
I am 16 pregnant, boyfriend also father of baby is 19. HIs and her Parents are okay with being pregnant, they would have hoped we had waited yet but all are now worried what about the law in MN with the age differnet. NO one want anything to happen to the 19 year old.

Can any charges be brought on the 19 year old even if all party involved are akay with the situation? if yes -- is there anything we can do to avoid law issues -- like get married?What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
 


cyjeff

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? MN
I am 16 pregnant, boyfriend also father of baby is 19. HIs and her Parents are okay with being pregnant, they would have hoped we had waited yet but all are now worried what about the law in MN with the age differnet. NO one want anything to happen to the 19 year old.

Can any charges be brought on the 19 year old even if all party involved are akay with the situation? if yes -- is there anything we can do to avoid law issues -- like get married?What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
Wouldn't it have been great to ask these questions BEFORE you gave the state living proof of your sexual relations?

Are you more than 3 years apart in age?
 

cyjeff

Senior Member
Yes three year six months
I will post the exact statutes....

But your boyfriend is in a world of hurt... especially if you were 15 at conception.

Your parents, his parents ... mean nothing.

It doesn't matter if they rented you the room and high fived him on the way out.

The doctors are mandatory reporters.
 

cyjeff

Senior Member
As long as you are less than 4 years apart.... he is fine...

Wow, time to get those laws changed.


609.345 Criminal sexual conduct in the fourth degree.

Subdivision 1. Crime defined. A person who engages in sexual contact with another person is guilty of criminal sexual conduct in the fourth degree if any of the following circumstances exists:

(a) the complainant is under 13 years of age and the actor is no more than 36 months older than the complainant. Neither mistake as to the complainant's age or consent to the act by the complainant is a defense. In a prosecution under this clause, the state is not required to prove that the sexual contact was coerced;

(b) the complainant is at least 13 but less than 16 years of age and the actor is more than 48 months older than the complainant or in a position of authority over the complainant and uses this authority to cause the complainant to submit. Consent by the complainant to the act is not a defense. In any such case, it shall be an affirmative defense which must be proved by a preponderance of the evidence that the actor believes the complainant to be 16 years of age or older;

(c) the actor uses force or coercion to accomplish the sexual contact;

(d) the actor knows or has reason to know that the complainant is mentally impaired, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless;

(e) the complainant is at least 16 but less than 18 years of age and the actor is more than 48 months older than the complainant and in a position of authority over the complainant, and uses this authority to cause or induce the complainant to submit. Neither mistake as to the complainant's age nor consent to the act by the complainant is a defense;

(f) the actor has a significant relationship to the complainant and the complainant was at least 16 but under 18 years of age at the time of the sexual contact. Neither mistake as to the complainant's age nor consent to the act by the complainant is a defense;

(g) the actor has a significant relationship to the complainant, the complainant was at least 16 but under 18 years of age at the time of the sexual contact, and:

(i) the actor or an accomplice used force or coercion to accomplish the contact;

(ii) the complainant suffered personal injury; or

(iii) the sexual abuse involved multiple acts committed over an extended period of time.

Neither mistake as to the complainant's age nor consent to the act by the complainant is a defense;

(h) the actor is a psychotherapist and the complainant is a patient of the psychotherapist and the sexual contact occurred:

(i) during the psychotherapy session; or

(ii) outside the psychotherapy session if an ongoing psychotherapist-patient relationship exists.

Consent by the complainant is not a defense;

(i) the actor is a psychotherapist and the complainant is a former patient of the psychotherapist and the former patient is emotionally dependent upon the psychotherapist;

(j) the actor is a psychotherapist and the complainant is a patient or former patient and the sexual contact occurred by means of therapeutic deception. Consent by the complainant is not a defense;

(k) the actor accomplishes the sexual contact by means of deception or false representation that the contact is for a bona fide medical purpose. Consent by the complainant is not a defense; or

(1) the actor is or purports to be a member of the clergy, the complainant is not married to the actor, and:

(i) the sexual contact occurred during the course of a meeting in which the complainant sought or received religious or spiritual advice, aid, or comfort from the actor in private; or

(ii) the sexual contact occurred during a period of time in which the complainant was meeting on an ongoing basis with the actor to seek or receive religious or spiritual advice, aid, or comfort in private.

Consent by the complainant is not a defense.

Subd. 2. Penalty. A person convicted under subdivision 1 may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than ten years or to a payment of a fine of not more than $20,000, or both.

Subd. 3. Stay. Except when imprisonment is required under section 609.346, if a person is convicted under subdivision 1, clause (f), the court may stay imposition or execution of the sentence if it finds that:

(a) a stay is in the best interest of the complainant or the family unit; and

(b) a professional assessment indicates that the offender has been accepted by and can respond to a treatment program.

If the court stays imposition or execution of sentence, it shall include the following as conditions of probation:

(1) incarceration in a local jail or workhouse;

(2) a requirement that the offender complete a treatment program; and

(3) a requirement that the offender have no unsupervised contact with the complainant until the offender has successfully completed the treatment program.

HIST: 1975 c 374 s 6; 1976 c 124 s 9; 1979 c 258 s 14; 1981 c 51 s 4; 1983 c 204 s 4; 1984 c 588 s 8; 1984 c 628 art 3 s 11; 1985 c 24 s 8; 1985 c 286 s 18; 1985 c 297 s 7; 1986 c 351 s 9; 1986 c 444; 1Sp1986 c 3 art 1 s 81; 1987 c 94 s 2; 1989 c 290 art 4 s 15; 1992 c 571 art 1 s 18,19; 1993 c 326 art 4 s 21; 1994 c 636 art 2 s 36

1997 the Office of Revisor of Statutes, State of Minnesota.
 

Unnamed725

Junior Member
I will post the exact statutes....

But your boyfriend is in a world of hurt... especially if you were 15 at conception.

Your parents, his parents ... mean nothing.

It doesn't matter if they rented you the room and high fived him on the way out.

The doctors are mandatory reporters.
cyjeff, the info and statues I found state that 16 is the age of consent in Minnesota and that there is a 4 year age gap; not 17/18 and a 3 year age gap as you seem to be thinking.

The exception would be if the adult is in a position of authority or is a family member of the minor, but the 48 month age threshold would need to be passed.

In her situation, she is over the age of consent, was at conception, and even if she wasn't, they're under the minimum age difference threshold (they're 42 months apart, and the threshold is 48 months).

Perhaps you got Minnesota confused with a more draconian state?

(links: Ages of consent in North America - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://moraloutrage.net/staticpages/index.php?page=Minnesota)
 

16needhelp

Junior Member
thank you the statue is what I had been looking for but was not able to find the right information. I now found the 2009 current statue. Thank you for your help.

We will be okay and he will be able to go to the doctor with me and give the baby his name without getting in law issues, you have been a great help.
 

Unnamed725

Junior Member
As long as you are less than 4 years apart.... he is fine...

Wow, time to get those laws changed.
Four years is a fairly typical "close in age" exception, and 16 is the most common age of consent in the US and the Western World.

The state wants to prosecute old men for sleeping with young girls - not high school/college kids for having younger girlfriends. Taking away that "close in age exception" would only make life harder for the new parents and the child, punish old boys and young men for having slightly younger girlfriends (many who may be in school with them at the same time they would be prosecuted for statutory rape otherwise!), while not doing anything to punish the old creepers.

I don't see a compelling need to re-write the laws to penalize older teens/younger adults. Do you?
 

cyjeff

Senior Member
cyjeff, the info and statues I found state that 16 is the age of consent in Minnesota and that there is a 4 year age gap; not 17/18 and a 3 year age gap as you seem to be thinking.
That would explain why I posted the statute and corrected myself, huh?

The exception would be if the adult is in a position of authority or is a family member of the minor, but the 48 month age threshold would need to be passed
Yup, posted that too.

In her situation, she is over the age of consent, was at conception, and even if she wasn't, they're under the minimum age difference threshold (they're 42 months apart, and the threshold is 48 months).
yup, corrected that too.

Perhaps you got Minnesota confused with a more draconian state?
you say draconian, I say sensible. Whatever.

I have found Wiki to be an unreliable source of statute law.

That would explain why I went to the MN legislative site for my reference.
 

cyjeff

Senior Member
Four years is a fairly typical "close in age" exception, and 16 is the most common age of consent in the US and the Western World.

The state wants to prosecute old men for sleeping with young girls - not high school/college kids for having younger girlfriends. Taking away that "close in age exception" would only make life harder for the new parents and the child, punish old boys and young men for having slightly younger girlfriends (many who may be in school with them at the same time they would be prosecuted for statutory rape otherwise!), while not doing anything to punish the old creepers.

I don't see a compelling need to re-write the laws to penalize older teens/younger adults. Do you?
Absolutely.

Take our OP here. Wow. How wonderful, children having children.

Do you have any idea what just happened to her chances of getting a college degree? How about an advanced degree?

Crap, the chances of her boyfriend still being around in a year?
 

Unnamed725

Junior Member
That would explain why I posted the statute and corrected myself, huh?



Yup, posted that too.



yup, corrected that too.



you say draconian, I say sensible. Whatever.



I have found Wiki to be an unreliable source of statute law.

That would explain why I went to the MN legislative site for my reference.
Yes, you did. Sorry, it took me a couple minutes to formulate my response so you had already corrected yourself. I agree with your second post, except for what I talked about later.
 

Unnamed725

Junior Member
Absolutely.

Take our OP here. Wow. How wonderful, children having children.

Do you have any idea what just happened to her chances of getting a college degree? How about an advanced degree?

Crap, the chances of her boyfriend still being around in a year?
I am in total agreement with you that it is not ideal for young people to have children before they are ready, and the vast majority aren't ready at 16 (or 18, or even in their early 20s). And I agree that her life will be very difficult because of this.

However, putting the young father in jail is just going to make things worse. They lose a source (the better source, generally) of income, and this further makes the situation worse for the child and mother. She has less money and less help.

Also, you have to look at the "crime" that is committed here. Is it really worth a felony sex offense, and a lifetime of being a second class citizen on the sex offender registry for high school sexual activity? I'm totally in agreement with you that 65 year old men who prey on 13yos should be punished severely, but high school age kids having sex with each other, while unwise, is far and away different from that, and punishing these older kids/younger adults for consensual sexual activity is really overkill.

Perhaps if we make every 18 or 19 year old high school senior who sleeps with his 16 year old high school junior felony sex offenders and give them years in prison we'll deter enough to drop teen pregnancy and give these young people a better chance at life. But that's a lot of young lives ruined over a impulsive and natural (though unwise) behavior. I'm not totally comfortable with that.

I admire your drive to improve laws and society, and I am in complete agreement that teen pregnancy is almost always bad. I differ in the best way to respond - I'd like more education and accountability for the young fathers, not turning our teenage "men" into sex offenders for having slightly younger girlfriends.

I don't want to post here anymore because this is slightly impertinent to the OP's question, but if you want to discuss this at more length, I'd be happy to oblige you through PM or email.
 

CdwJava

Senior Member
Of course, the reality is that one or both of these parents AND the child will be living in whole or part on the government dole for a very long time or forever as a result of this premature conception. So, there is a compelling state interest in prohibiting and penalizing underage sexual conduct. Sending people to prison is not the answer, but sending a message in some way that this is not right must be done.
 

ecmst12

Senior Member
Better sex ed and access to birth control for teenagers would go much further towards preventing teen pregnancy then stricter statutory rape laws.
 

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