The Real right to abandon your child, or not

"IDOXLR8" wrote in message
ups.com...
To make a long story short and not get into the ongoing debate, I would
like to offer my story for some of you whom may have different opinions
and let you decide where the battle really lies.

I am now 46, I am a proud father of three, of one a 14 year old son
that still lives at home that I have raised by myself since he was 2
years old... By myself, no help, never asked for any, and never got
any.
You might think that that makes me biased but in truth, it is just the
opposite. I also have two other children. One of witch is an adult at
29 and has her own children.
The other is the cause for my post tonight.
He is now 16 and lives on the west coast (US)...
At the time of his conception I was 28. I was doing well in my career
and was single and lived with a roommate. We shared a very nice home
and bills, drove nice cars, and had money to spend. Our house was the
gathering place on the weekends. We did party...Alot...
Every weekend was a housefull of people untill the wee hours...
One Sunday evening my roommate an I came home from a lake outing to
find this girl sitting on our front pourch. She had suitcases with her,
I thought, "this has to be bad"...
I was right, she was pregnant. And she says its mine. We had numerous
discussions about my willingness to pay for an abortion and possibly
adoption but she stood fast that it was against her religion.

She tells me that she is from a Jahova's Witness Family and that she
told her parents that she was pregnant and they "DISASSOCIATED" her
because it was against thier beliefs.
Ok... Well here I am, My neighbor girl sitting on my doorstep, pregnant
and nowhere to live. I called the cops!!!
That did not have any effect at all, they talked with her parents and
afterwards that told me that they had the right to refuse thier
daughter because she was of age...
So... It all boils down to that fact that I was a good man and took her
in. I am the only one that stood beside her during the entire
pregnancy. I supported her fully, no questions asked.
Until her mother decided to divorce her father, then all of the sudden
the religion was of no matter. Her mother, the one that would not even
go to the hospital while her oldest child was giving birth to her first
child, was all mighty. It cost me, and still is.


I am disabled and have been for 8 years, I collect SS Disability, not
SSI...

Both of my children that are under the age of 18 also receive monthly
checks from my earnings.

Several years ago The state he lives in started garnishing my disablity
income for the amount of $200 per month. No prob, I just had to lower
my standards and get used to living on $500 a month and not $700 a
month. Now today I got a letter from SS stating that they are going to
garnish me for a total of $400 per month. THat is way over 50% of my
total income, and I still have a child that I am trying to raise.
Think about this before you slam me...
My Monthly income is less than $700
It could be $900 without child support
It will be less than $500 next month

I now have to move my son out of the substandard home that we live in
and into what?
A crime ridden motel, one bedroom gang infested??
Look there are those of us that care about our children, I love mine...
BUT, how do I take away from just to make shure the other is better?


What does your story have to do with abandonment? Is the state going after
you for arrearages? I'm not sure what could be done about your financial
situation - sorry, but I don't know enough about SS income and how child
support impacts it.

I agree with another poster concerning paternity. It may be too late
legally to do anything about it, but if a test was never done - that should
have been the number one thing to prove. Are you the father?

I wish you a lot of luck, and hope you don't end up in a one bedroom gang
infested neighborhood.
Thanks,
Tracy
~~~~
http://www.hornschuch.net/tracy/