CONTRACTS WITH MINORS

In every sector but adoption a minor can not sign a contract. It is not legally binding. In fact in most states contracts with minors are not legally binding up to and two years past their 18th birthday. So why is an adoption contract with a minor even legal? Part of it is because the government does not want an "illegitimate" child. In fact, the federal government denies minors as parents TANF funds if that minor does not live with an adult. It further suggests that if the minor lives with an adult, that minor must continue her education without any guarantees for the provision of daycare. The federal government also requests that states push second chance homes (maternity homes), marriage measure, reducing abortion and to outline the state's statuttory rape education program. There is huge financial incentives to states that follow through with this. The federal government also wants states to push the abstinence education. States can't give any TANF funds to mothers unless these are in place. 360 Million dollars is at stake for states. That is a great deal of money. There are no moneys for Family Planning. This money can not be spent on medical services. Prepregnancy family planning is specifically mentioned as an allowable expense under TANF. Thus states are allowed but not required to use TANF funds for family planning.

The states and the federal government make it hard for a young woman to keep her child. If she does and doesn't have the support of her parents, she is punished for doing something that 95% of Americans have done. So I come back to the argument of contracts with minors. Not all states have laws regarding this. How can an adoption contract with a minor be legal when in most circumstances minors can not even create a contract for a car, cell phone or a home? These contracts are not legally binding but an adoption contract is. Adoption just abortionis a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Consent to Abortion should be the same in adoption. Since it is a life altering decision, the same consideration should be applied to adoption as it is in abortion. Most states require parental consent to an abortion.

This is just another reason why adoption should be stopped and investigated. They allow minors to make permanent decisions without consulting their parents. In minors, it is too easy to coerce and be deceptive to the minor. An perfect example is the Stephanie Bennett case.