I don’t get it. An 18 year old is an adult. No one can “abandon” them. They aren’t minors any more.
Why is this a bad law? I think it is a great idea and should be done all over the country.
To start with, it is done to protect children. These parents were wise enough to realize that they could not protect or support their children anymore. Typically, they would have to go to court to get the State to take care of their children in those circumstances. And invariably, States will do this, for the simple reason that if the parent thinks they can’t support their kids, they probably can’t support their kids.
Otherwise, what would you have these parents do? Oftentimes, people say that there is *somebody* to help that family stay together, but in truth, those *somebodies* are hard to find. Likely, the parent has been agonizing over this decision for a long time, and even unsuccessfully sought out help and didn’t find it.
By the State taking care of these children, they are immediately going to have shelter, food, clothing, schooling, and health care. The parent will still succeed or fail on their own, but they won’t drag down the child at the same time.
The biggest objection seems to be with parents dropping off older children. But State laws are very clear about minors.
I’ve talked a lot with young runaways, and while the majority are “voluntary” runaways, their life on the street is both unhealthy and a rotten way to spend their childhood, when they could be afforded at least a minimum of support by the State. Generally, they weren’t mad at their parent or parents, and just realized that raising them was just too much for their parents to do.
So again, I hope they keep this law, and other States adopt it as well, because, honestly, these kids need it more than their parents do.
What was the ‘rush’? All she had to do was deposit her ‘adult’ daughter onto the sidewalk with a suitcase.
An 18 YO is a legal adult, is it not?