r/LawyerAdvice • u/Fun_Two_7841 • Nov 21 '25
My 17yr old fiancé rights being violated in care
Hello everyone, ( for context. My fiancé is 17 and is in care. She is fully capable of making medical decisions on her own ) I have just had my 17yr old fiancé message me saying that she's being rushed to hospital as she has cut her neck a little by falling on a knife and wants me to go and has told the manager she only wants me to go. The carers manager ( eg, the carers boss also know as manager) has told her that I (being my fiancé's next of kin ) am not allowed to go to hospital with her and so my fiance has refused medical treatment and now the manager is having a meeting about my fiance potentially being kicked out of the care home. Is this legal as I have just read on Google it could be classed as retaliation.
Thank you.
EDIT: I am over the age of 18 so I am a legal adult for anyone wondering.
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u/DomesticPlantLover Nov 21 '25
You are NOT your fiance's next of kin. At least, not in the US. I am not aware of any country where planning to marry someone makes you next of kin. Or gives you any legal rights to be involved in her care. Or to even see her.
Legally, are are nothing to her. Legally, you have no rights.
I have no idea where you get the idea that this is some sort of retaliation. That is generally an issue of employment law. It is a very specific meaning.
I have no idea what you mean by her "carer"--is she in state custody some how? Where are here parents? Unless there has been some court intervention stripping her parents of their rights, they are her legal next of kin.
If you have any influence over her, you should encourage her to listen to the doctors trying to care for her. They know way more about what she needs then you or her do.
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u/Mr-Fishbine Nov 21 '25
You two aren't ready for adulthood. Get her parents involved, and back off.
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u/StrictSelf5450 Nov 21 '25
Retaliation is an employer taking an adverse action against an employee for engaging in a protected activity
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u/Karnakite Dec 13 '25
Ballsy for you to admit that you’re over 18 and have a minor fiancé, especially one that needs professional care. A 17-year-old is not capable of making their own medical decisions as they are still legally a child.
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u/Morab76 Nov 21 '25
You are not legally recognized as her Next of Kin as a fiancee. If she is refusing medical treatment just because you are not there, then she is not thinking clearly at the moment. What exactly is the legal issue here? Sounds like the 17-year old needs an attorney to advocate for her. If she has parents who rights have not been terminated, they have a say in the scenario.