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| Home : Family Law : Emancipated Minor | |
Emancipated Minor
In this strange world, believe it or
not, but many people under the age of 18 want to get emancipated from their
parents. Emancipation is basically a legal procedure where a child can declare
him or herself legally responsible for themselves; in an emancipated state, the
parents are no longer responsible (financially or otherwise) for their children.
In any state, once a child turns 18, he or she becomes emancipated, i.e. an
adult. Also, should a person under the age of 18 join the armed forces or gets
married (with parental consent), the minor also becomes emancipated.
Still, in a handful of states, a minor can become emancipated simply by
declaring him or herself so, and in other states, the minor must petition a
court to gain emancipation status. Yet other states allow parents to give
children emancipation status.
Once a minor becomes emancipated, he or she has to make his or her own medical
decisions, can be sued, and has the right to buy or sell property and otherwise
enter into contracts. An emancipated minor must also take care of his or her
financial affairs. However, emancipation status does not relieve the minor of
having to attend school, and in most cases, and emancipated minor must still get
permission for his or her parents to marry.
Again, the law varies by state, and this is not a forum for going into the
particulars of each state's emancipation laws.