Technetium
Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Massachusetts
Posting this here even though I'm not sure it's the right sub-forum, there doesn't seem to be a sub-forum that feels right for discussing neglect.
Okay, let me start by saying that my girlfriend is 17 and in Massachusetts the legal age of consent is 16. I am a bit older (never mind how much), but it's not against the law, her family approves of the relationship, and it's not the more serious matter to discuss right now. The only reason I mention it at all is that it's necessary to establish that my girlfriend is basically at the mercy of her legal guardian (her grandmother) when it comes to this problem.
Of her last 4 periods, each were less than 2 weeks apart. They have all been heavy periods with a lot of blood loss. This is really abnormal. The three other adult women in the household (there are 13 people living there) all have a hereditary condition called Endometriosis, which causes tissue normally in the uterus to grow elsewhere. This is a condition that can't be cured but can be greatly mitigated with medical treatment. She's almost positive that the abnormal periods are a sign that she has it as well. But she has never been tested for it. She has actually never been to a gynocologist in her life. She has told her mom that she has had too many periods lately but her mom laughed at her (a good example of why she's not her guardian). She told her grandmother, who promised to schedule a medical appointment for her, but that never happened, even when she has been reminded constantly. Now with the newest period starting only 7 days after the last one ended, my girlfriend is really scared. You can actually get anemia and die from too much menstrual bleeding, although it's very rare.
What I want to know is:
1. There is a hospital in walking distance of where she lives. If she walks there by herself, and explains her medical crisis, will they do an examination and help her, or does that require her grandmother's consent? It seems crazy that she could be denied treatment for a serious medical emergency simply because her grandmother hasn't given the okay to treat it. And if they will see her, will they just send the hospital bill back to her grandmother?
2. What about the neglect issue? Doesn't her grandmother have a legal responsibility to help her? My girlfriend is worried that she might be taken away from the house entirely and put into some foster house until she is 18, and that scares her even more than the medical issue.
3. Can I bring her in for treatment? I think I probably can't, because I'm not her legal guardian.
What can she do?
Posting this here even though I'm not sure it's the right sub-forum, there doesn't seem to be a sub-forum that feels right for discussing neglect.
Okay, let me start by saying that my girlfriend is 17 and in Massachusetts the legal age of consent is 16. I am a bit older (never mind how much), but it's not against the law, her family approves of the relationship, and it's not the more serious matter to discuss right now. The only reason I mention it at all is that it's necessary to establish that my girlfriend is basically at the mercy of her legal guardian (her grandmother) when it comes to this problem.
Of her last 4 periods, each were less than 2 weeks apart. They have all been heavy periods with a lot of blood loss. This is really abnormal. The three other adult women in the household (there are 13 people living there) all have a hereditary condition called Endometriosis, which causes tissue normally in the uterus to grow elsewhere. This is a condition that can't be cured but can be greatly mitigated with medical treatment. She's almost positive that the abnormal periods are a sign that she has it as well. But she has never been tested for it. She has actually never been to a gynocologist in her life. She has told her mom that she has had too many periods lately but her mom laughed at her (a good example of why she's not her guardian). She told her grandmother, who promised to schedule a medical appointment for her, but that never happened, even when she has been reminded constantly. Now with the newest period starting only 7 days after the last one ended, my girlfriend is really scared. You can actually get anemia and die from too much menstrual bleeding, although it's very rare.
What I want to know is:
1. There is a hospital in walking distance of where she lives. If she walks there by herself, and explains her medical crisis, will they do an examination and help her, or does that require her grandmother's consent? It seems crazy that she could be denied treatment for a serious medical emergency simply because her grandmother hasn't given the okay to treat it. And if they will see her, will they just send the hospital bill back to her grandmother?
2. What about the neglect issue? Doesn't her grandmother have a legal responsibility to help her? My girlfriend is worried that she might be taken away from the house entirely and put into some foster house until she is 18, and that scares her even more than the medical issue.
3. Can I bring her in for treatment? I think I probably can't, because I'm not her legal guardian.
What can she do?
