Health Communities reports that about one million teenage girls experience a pregnancy each year in the United States. Even though most teen mothers are minors, they have rights regarding whether to keep their baby or not. Many states have assistance programs for teen mothers.
Adoption
A minor teen mother does not need a parent's permission to put her baby up for adoption. A teen mother is awarded the same rights as an adult mother who wants to let someone else adopt and care for her child. Conversely, a teenage mom cannot seek to have an adoption invalidated because she was a minor when she gave her baby up.
Child Support
A teen mother has the right to seek child support from the baby's father, but must first establish paternity for the courts, says Kids Counsel, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the University of Connecticut School of Law in Hartford. Child support can be done through a mutual agreement between the parents or a teen mother can seek a court order. Even if the father is a teen, Kids Counsel advises the mother to seek child support because the father could earn money from a job, the lottery or an inheritance down the road. A child support agreement entitles the child to money from Social Security should the father die. It also entitles the father to visitation rights.
Assistance
Many states have a temporary family assistance program, also known as welfare, that will provide a teen mother with money to help her raise her baby. The mother must meet the eligibility requirements of the state where she resides. Requirements typically are having a low income and being a U.S. citizen. If younger than age 18, the mother can receive assistance as long as she stays in school.
