Underage and pregnant

Financial support

During the first twelve months of your child's life, you will receive parental allowance (Elterngeld) (at least €300 per month) and child benefit (Kindergeld) (€259 per month) until your child reaches the age of majority.

If you are over 15 years old, you can apply for citizen's income (Bürgergeld) from the 12th week of pregnancy, even if you still live with your parents. Here you can calculate how much you are entitled to. Your parents do not have to pay this back.

From the age of 16, you may be able to apply for your own apartment and live there independently. You will then receive the citizen's income to cover your rent and a supplement for single parents if you are raising your child alone. Child benefit and parental allowance are counted as income (i.e., deducted from the total amount of citizen's income to which you are entitled).

There are also subsidies available for baby equipment, and we will be happy to help you with this.

Child support

The child's father must pay maintenance for the child and for you as the mother: for the child until it reaches adulthood and for you, usually for three years. If he earns little or no money, the youth welfare office will cover the child maintenance. This is called an advance on maintenance payments (Unterhaltsvorschuss). If the child's father cannot pay because, for example, he is in training or has a low income, he does not have to pay it back later.

Housing

One option is, of course, to live at home with your family. Having your family around can be a relief. But if things are difficult at home, you can live in a mother-and-child home together with other girls with children. The young mothers are looked after by social workers there. There is either in-house childcare or they help to organize external childcare. This means you can also continue school or vocational training if you want to.

Anyone who wants to move out of their family home and receives citizen's income must obtain permission from the job center, but this is usually not a problem if a young woman is pregnant.

Vocational training

As a trainee, you cannot be dismissed and you can take parental leave for a maximum of three years. The decision as to when you want to return to your training during these three years is up to you. If you find it too difficult to return after your break, you can start your training again from scratch.

School can often be more compatible with having a child, and if you wish, you can continue going to school during or after your parental leave.

The legal situation

Being pregnant does not make you an adult. As long as you are not of legal age, you cannot have sole custody of the child. The child will be assigned a guardian until you reach the age of majority. Initially, this guardian will be the youth welfare office, but guardianship can be transferred to a suitable person. Most youth welfare offices do not assign this role to the child's father, even if he is of legal age. When you reach the age of majority, you will be granted custody and can share it with the child's father if you wish.

First steps

You must go to a pregnancy counseling center (such as pro familia), where you will be informed about available assistance and can discuss all your concerns with a counselor. The counseling is open-ended and the counselor is bound to confidentiality. You alone make the decision; no one is allowed to pressure you!

After the consultation, you will receive a certificate confirming that you have received the legally required counseling. After the consultation, a statutory reflection period of 3 days must elapse. From the 4th day after the consultation, the termination of pregnancy can be performed. As a general rule, a pregnancy can be terminated up to the 12th (legal) or 14th (medical) week of pregnancy. After that, a pregnancy can only be terminated if there are serious medical reasons.

If you are under 14 years of age, you always need the consent of your parents or legal guardians for an abortion. If you are over 14 years of age, the doctor will talk to you and, if you appear to be mature, he or she may waive the requirement for consent from your legal guardians. Between the ages of 16 and 18, an abortion can usually be performed without the consent of a parent or guardian.

You can find out which doctor to go to at the pregnancy counseling center.

Costs

You must pay for the abortion yourself. If you are over 15 years old and have little or no income, you can apply to your health insurance company to cover the costs. It is very important that the doctor has confirmation of cost coverage BEFORE the abortion. Even if you are covered by family insurance, your legal guardians will not be informed about the cost coverage by the health insurance company.

If a criminal act has been committed that resulted in your pregnancy (rape, coercion, child abuse),

the costs of the abortion will be covered by the health insurance company, meaning it is free of charge. All you need to do is tell a doctor what happened; you do not have to report the crime to the police. The doctor will then issue you with a so-called criminological indication. This means you do NOT have to wait 3 days, but can have the termination performed immediately if you wish. Doctors are bound by confidentiality and are not allowed to disclose anything you have told them.
If you are younger than 14, there is always a criminological indication in the case of pregnancy, because according to the law, no one is allowed to have sex with a child under the age of 14. This is a criminal offense, regardless of whether you consented or not.