'Non-existent' teen can't drive, vote or work
A teenager claims she can't drive, vote or travel because her devoutly religious parents didn't register her birth.
In a YouTube video 19-year-old Texan Alecia Pennington says her parents neglected to file a birth certificate or birth record of any kind.
"I was home-schooled my entire life so I have no school records. I have also never been to the hospital so I have no medical records," she said.
Ms Pennington said these lack of records means she cannot prove her identity or American citizenship.
"I am now 19 years old and I am unable to get a driver's licence, get a job, go to college, get on a plane, get a bank account or vote," she said.
The video has been viewed more than 800,000 times.
Ms Pennington has also created a Facebook page with a copy of a letter she claims is from health officials corroborating her statement regarding the lack of a birth certificate.
She says her parents refused to help her or sign anything that would prove her citizenship.
Her mother Lisa Pennington replied to the claims on Facebook saying the video was untrue.
"Maybe you should check your facts before just believing what you see online," she posted.
The Friendly Atheist reported that Lisa Pennington blamed the grandparents for helping Ms Pennington leave their house last September in a post on her own blog. The post has since been deleted.
