But she swore she was 18!: The age of consent.

[LSN80]

The age of consent refers to the age at which a person’s consent to have sex is recognised as valid in the eyes of the law. Men (and sometimes women, depending upon local law) who engage in sexual activity with young men or women below this age are therefore guilty of a criminal offence. This is true even if it was the young person who wanted to have sex and ‘fully consented’ to it – the agreement of the person below the age of consent is simply invalid in the eyes of the law. Yet in many countries this offence (often called ‘statutory rape’, as in the USA) is one that is very severely punished, sometimes with a sentence of up to life imprisonment. It is the combination of these factors that make age of consent laws highly controversial.

The freedom of sexual expression (and exploration) is not only a matter of choice which is fundamental to the individual – it is also particularly important to young persons as they proceed through the stage of adolescence into young adulthood. Age of consent laws place artificial limits on this freedom. Sex is entirely natural and should be celebrated in the context of loving relationships, not criminalised and put under the prying eye of an authoritarian state. Violence, coercion and exploitation in sexual relationships should still be punished, but not consensual activity. Age of consent laws are also arbitrary as children become sexually and emotionally mature at very different rates, so any artificially imposed limit will be too high for many and too low for others. Such restrictions go against the human rights to privacy and of freedom of expression, in my opinion.

Unfortunately everyone matures a different age. That does not mean that choosing an average, approximate age for consensual sex, such as 16, is arbitrary or wrong. There is no great harm in asking “early developers” to wait for a year or two before they begin to have sex. After all, young people are not always as mature as they like to claim they are.

I think it's fairly easy and rational to argue on one side of the fence or the other on this topic. I provided a basic argument for both sides regarding the age of consent and whether or not one should be forced to "wait". With that being said.....

Should there be set laws regarding the age of consent? What should be the criteria for determining them? What are the pros and cons of your side?

You dont have to answer all the questions, but you get the idea. Have fun kids.

 

[#hamler]

Yes, there should be laws regarding consent of sex. How old? Well, like you said everyone matures at a different age. In my opinion, a 16 year old still isn't mature enough to handle sex or the consequences that follow. Is it really right for an 18 year old to take an immature 16 year old and have sex with them? No. Not at all. But no one says they can't. You see, here's the thing. If its ok for a 18 year old to have sex with a 16 year old, then how can anyone stop a 45 year old from fucking a 16 year old? In my honest opinion, we need some kind of age difference law in affect. For example no one over 21 can have sex with anyone under the age of 16. Then we propose the idea of no sex under the age of 16. Anyone under the age of 16 thinks they're ready for sex when they are indeed not, but let's face it, if a 14 year old is ...ummm...horny enough, they're going to have sex with someone. There is not official way of stopping them. The best we can do is educate these people or kids to save themselves for when they're trully ready.

Here's what I think, how is any 16 year old capable of having sex when they aren't even able to drink, drive on their own, vote or even get abortions without parental consent? I say, until 16 year olds are legally declared adults, they shouldn't be having sex. There are laws regarding legal age of sex to protect those immature, know-it-all, horny 15 year old girls and boys from being taken advantage of because they are too immature to know what's best for them. I usually get shocked when a 15 year old uses the word "love" because deep down, I know they don't know what love really is.

Have to spread Rep LSN...but I'll get to you.

 

[Ultra Awesome]

Should there be set laws regarding the age of consent?

I'm going to go with no, there shouldn't. A person regardless of their age (as long as they're over 15) should have the right to have sex with whomever they choose. I mean, it's not like it is rape or antyhing like that. Both that will be going through sexual intercourse have come to equal terms that they will be having sex, so there shouldn't be any fear that one will be 'raping' the other.

What should be the criteria for determining them?

Readyness. If a person is ready to have sex, then I do not see why he or she should not be allowed to have sex with another individual. With that said, the age difference should also be taken into consideration when performing intercourse with the other. If say, a 16 year-old girl wishes to have sex with a 30 year-old man, she should think about the moral issues involved in such a situation. Is she really going to loose her virginity to a man that is 14 years older then her? Is that what she really wants to do? What if she becomes pregnant? What then?--These are the types of questions that should be taken into consideration when determining whether said person chooses to have sex with the other.

The criteria that should be met when determing what the age of consent should be pinned down to the two things I mentioned avbove: Readyness and the gap between age difference. When both are thought carefully, there should be no restrictions as to the sexual intercourse that will occur.

What are the pros and cons of your side?

I guess in the end, it all pins down to the mind-set that one will have for having sex with a person that is older than they are.

On one hand, you have the freedom to do as you please. No one is stopping you from having intercourse and you have the right to fuck who ever it is you want to fuck. End. Of.

On the other hand, the "what if" questions come into place. What if you're not thinking this carefully and end up giving your virginity to someone you really didn't want to or someone who is far much older than you hand really wanted?... The world is full of stupidity; and there is bound to be a considerable amount of stupid decisions to be made as a result of 'no restriction'. Chances are, you will have a couple with a guy at the age of 42 and the woman at the age of 20. Or even vise-versa.



In the end, my ideers probably aren't exactly the best as I'm imagining this through an ideal world. However, as I mentioned before, morality plays a big hand in such concept; and in the end, it should go by what YOU think is best for you and not what the law thinks. YOU make your own actions; YOU make your own decisions. If you fuck up, then tis no one's fault but your own...