by RubyTuesday 59 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse
Drinking age should be below driving age though! People should learn to handle their liquor before they handle a car!
Would the teen pregnancy rate increase if legal age of consent and legal age of alcohol consumption be droped to 16? I know they are drinking and "doing it" already, but not out in the open.
Should we reduce the voting age to 16 too? If someone is old enough to have sex, are they old enough to vote, or sign contracts? Would Justin Timberlake be our next president?
I think a change or lowering of the age of consent law would only serve to protect individuals in very special circumstances, but it would open the door for predators to do what they do on a larger and more agressive scale, arguing that the youngster consented to the act and therefore allow them to get away with it more frequently.
Real life scenario: Josh is 23. Kim is 12. Josh is no mental giant but has a good heart and is by no means a pedophile. Kim, on the other hand, is over developed for her age [looks 18+ by anyone's standards], a bit more advanced in all ways for a 12 yo. Josh and Kim associate regularly because their families are very close and host many gatherings and recreational activities together. The group of friends are pretty much tight-nit, and to eachother extended family, as it were. In the natural course of things, Josh and Kim cultivate rapport and form a real relationship. They have known eachother for a long long time and have come to know, trust and care about eachother, thus forming a very real relationship with all the bells and whistles of emotional investment. In fact, the family situation they are in has even to a great extent, nurtured their relationship, and to some extent, approved of their forming bond.
They both decide [ mutually, consentually, premeditedly ] at some point to cross that line and begin taking their affection to the next level. Should Josh be made to spend years in jail for this? Should there be such consequences for this young man, labeled a child rapist, a sex offender, a pedophile?
Again, the challenge with lowering the age of consent law is that many predators would use this to their advantage. Yet, wouldn't the child who is violated have recourse under the same laws that prosecute rapists who victimize adults?
I am the father of 4 girls, ages 12 to 18. I am very protective of them and would question the motives of any older male who showed a romantic interest in my 12 year old. Ultimately and unarguably, it is my responsibility to protect them from situations that could lead to devastation and heartbreak. It is for me to be cautious with regard to any adult they come into contact with.
This is a sticky sticky touchy touchy topic.
Corvin
Would Justin Timberlake be our next president?
He'd have my vote :) Just kidding. I think alot of 16yr olds are smarter regarding politics than some adults. They are in school and goverment is fresher in their minds. 16 year olds can drive a car, why then can they not vote on issues which will affect how much they pay in gas money or for the taxes on their cars.
Chev, I'm content as long as you are over the age of concent
lol.... seeing as how I share my birthday with the Olsen Twins you have 39 days left till I will officially be of legal age and I cant wait, that means I get to vote this year. And I think Justin Timberlake has just what it takes to resolve our current foreign affairs problems, or at least look good trying
12!!!! 12???? is she joking???
my gawd My granddaughter is 10. I cannot and don't want to imagine her having sex in 2 years.
No child at 12 years old is ready to handle the resposibility of sexual relationships. Consent means they more than they are able to do it. It means they have to understand it and all the implications of it
LL, I looked at the URL and it is not a reference directly to anything she has said or written. That is why I would like an URL directly to a site that is impartial, showing the document so quoted. Just like I prefer to read Bible verses from the Bible rather than the WT.
Blondie
I agree with Lady Lee. To lower the age of consent to 12 would be ridiculous. No child at 12 would be able to understand fully the consequences and actions of sex. To permit sex at that age in a way would be encouraging it and probably result in ever more young and unwanted pregnancies.
In the Uk the legal age is 16.I think that they have got this just about right. At my age i feel old enough and am able to stand both the benefits and complications of sex. However, this age does seem realistic. I think that 18 is slightly too old as alot of teenagers have already had sex by then. It is probably slightly too optomistic of people to keep the limit at 18.
However, i do believe that prostitution should be made legal. The diseases and other problems that occur could be prevented if people didn't have to sneak around doing this thing. But of course there are always the problems of pimps and other things that could happen if this was legalised.
xLaurax
Would this law(s) mean that you could get a 12 year old prostitute legally?
Hey Blondie...this is the report that RBG did for the ACLU. I couldn't find it, but maybe this helps you find the phrase...or the point of contention the conservative fundies were all in an uproar about.
"Sex Bias in the U.S. Code," Ginsberg, Ruth Bader, Report for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, April 1977.
The Phyllis Schlafly Report, Vol. 26, No. 12, Section 1, p. 3. The paragraph (from the Ginsburg report) reads as follows: "'Eliminate the phrase "carnal knowledge of any female, not his wife, who has not attained the age of 16 years" and substitute a federal, sex-neutral definition of the offense. ... A person is guilty of an offense if he engages in a sexual act with another person. ... [and] the other person is, in fact, less than 12 years old.'"
Sincerely,
District Overbeer
