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| Wed, 07-11-2007 - 12:15am |

Time for a board HOT TOPIC Discussion
Indiana has passed a new law that it is now legal for a 14 year old to have sex with an 18 yr old or older person.

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What?!?!?! How backwards is that???? You'd think it'd at least go the other way!
But, I thought there was the statutory rape law that a girl 17 or younger was not able to give consent or whatever. I remember in high school discussing the 17 year old male vs. 17 year old female law. Basically, a boy was able to be charged of stat rape at 17, a girl can't consent until 18, so if 2 17 year olds had sex, the boy could be charged or something to that effect. Maybe it was 16 year olds???
To go along with this note, did you know that it was (might still be) law that a female teacher in Louisiana CAN have consensual sex with a 17 or 18 year old male student! It was on the news during our legislative session because there was a bill to change it and I don't know if it passed or not. Will have to check, because I hope it did!
Alysha
The law in Canada right now says a 14 year old can have sex with whomever they want, be they 14 as well or 65. No limits. Our current government, who I'm not a fan of generally except in this instance, is trying to raise it to 16 which means when you are 16 you can have sex with anyone you want, even if they are 92. However for kids under that age they have to be within 5 years in age. I still find that too broad but its better. However it means a 13 year old and an 18 year old can legally have sex. Or a 15 year old and a 20 year old. I would be happier with a 2 or 3 year spread. A 13 year old with a 15 year old is not great, but certainly seems more equal than an 18 year old.
Canada has become quite well known in the pedophile community as a place where you can have sex with 14 year olds with no repercussions. I'm hoping the new law will put a stop to that. At least slow it down. I think the age of consent in Spain is 12 I remember reading once. Means that a 12 year old can have sex with anyone, any age. That freaks me out. Lots of 12 year olds don't even have body hair. ICK!!!
In Canada any adult in a position of authority that has sex with someone under their authority can be charged. So ANY teacher, coach, guidance counsellor, etc. can be charged if they have sex with a student, even if that student is just slightly under 18.
I guess I can see both sides of this one - and I'm pretty conservative, so I can't believe I am arguing in part in favor of this.
I'd certainly rather no 14 year olds were having sex at all, and I definitely would teach from that angle for my own children. Really, I would be in favor of a wait until you are married and no one gets married before 21 policy. But, I know that is totally unworkable.
I do, however, think laws that have an 18 year old labeled for life as a sexual predator for having a consensual relationship with their 17 year old girl friend are off base as well.
And, I've certainly seen cases where the young girl is pretty predatory in going after the older guy - and yet the penalties go to the older one automatically. That's probably not right either.
It's hard to legislate these types of things.
But in the end, I think I'd rather see the age left at 16.
It won't keep some people from choosing to do it earlier, but at least there's someone out there putting forth the idea that it's not such a good idea to be that young.
This just gets me up on my soapbox about how society is sexualizing our girls younger and younger...and this is their way of justifying it. Little girls are now allowed to regularly dress like hoochies, so if they're acting it out they may as well have the right to BE ONE.
I too don't like seeing the boy get charged for consentual sex with a girlfriend, but lowering this age to 14 is only serving those who wish to take advantage of these kids...I'm pretty sure MOST 14 yr olds are NOT lobbying for this change!
On a related topic, if they HAVE THE RIGHT to have sex at 14, what other rights will they be handed? Will parents lose their authority over even MORE things? Will we be able to make them stay in school? Will we be fined for insisting our kids adhere to our values when they don't want to?
It makes me want to vomit in my mouth...
Denise
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I think this is one of the situations where there should be exceptions!
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I second that emotion Cathi.
I think it is a bad idea.
While I will grudgingly agree that it is over the top for an 18 year old to remain on the sex offender list for life for having sex with his fifteen year old girl friend, I do think he should be criminally punished. I don't think some jail time is too harsh. No eighteen year old should have a fifteen year old girl friend.
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