Q: A co-worker of mine just found out her daughter that is really 12 (but told the boy she was either 13 or 14) is now pregnant. He is 17 and said that she kept perusing him and eventually they had sex. She wants to have the baby and her mom, the nurse at the PCP office, and several other people tried to change her mind. What can her mom do if anything probably without the daughter’s help or permission? She has already been told that if her daughter wants to have the baby there is nothing she can do which means she is now going to be raising another child cause her daughter is still a minor and not responsible. Please give us some advice cause the mother wants to try to press charges or even a PF but don’t know what she can do.

A:  Yes, what you describe sounds like Statutory Sexual Assault since the victim is under 16 and the defendant is 4 or more years older than she. This is a serious matter and yes, the mother can commence criminal charges with the police. Before the mother launches that ship, she should speak with the daughter and perhaps seek counseling for the daughter. Involving the criminal justice system will have a profound impact on the daughter.