Age of Consent

The age of consent varies between countries.
For some it is at a set age e.g. 16 years old in the UK.
For other it is based upon the sexual maturity of the individuals; reaching puberty e.g. Bolivia.
It may even vary based upon sexuality.

What do you think of the issue that is the age of consent? Do you have other ideas about how it should be organised?

I'm unsure as to how to judge what is appropriate for the age of consent as there is no real set right age (apart from them being into puberty at least, I wouldn't advocate an age below sexual maturity), and just extending the rules from my country/culture smacks of cultural imperialism.

However there are things I would prefer in any age of consent laws:

• Firstly that the age for both heterosexual relations and homosexual relations to be the same.
• That the laws on pornography are related to the Ao C, as I personally find it strange when you can have sex but are not legally entitled to view recordings/images of others engaging in the activity.
• That if the system is that with a fixed Ao C there is some leeway, so horny consenting teenagers aren't liable for statutory rape.

edited 30th Dec '10 3:38:13 PM by IanExMachina

*cries because he can't use his Pedobear sockpuppet here*

Yeah, some of these laws are pretty bizarre and will probably have a lot of political inertia (as in, hard to change, not hard to stop from changing).

I think Jon Stewart's Earth put it pretty well. It was something along the lines of our Ao C laws ranging from squick to really, you waited that long?

I read a book on the subject recently, and I think the author put it very well when she said that when you're old enough to want sex, you're old enough to have it. Personally, I really think age of consent laws are more for the benefit of parents than the "victims" themselves, mostly because parents can't handle the fact that their daughter (it's usually a girl) is a total whore now (because any unmarried woman who desires sex is a whore), so they blame the man for "corrupting her," even if she gave informed consent.

: I have to disagree somewhat with the author. Just because you want something, does not mean that you are actually prepared for it, mentally, physically or emotionally.

I've noticed as I've gotten older that my opinion on Age of Consent has gotten higher (and no, I don't have daughters ). I don't know if it has to be 18 (my preferred number), but it should be no lower than 15, simply because of the physical maturation necessary.

I don't think it's too hard to imagine a child that is not sexually mature desiring sex simply for the sake of curiosity.

I think that 18 is a good number, but I also think similar-age exemptions are a good idea because that's not what those laws were designed for.

I think another reason they exist is to prevent much older people taking advantage of younger people's curiosity around sex. Which is why a lot of places has laws about the age of partners (Or they don't prosecute if someone underage has sex with someone just over age. There's a huge power difference between a 14 and 16 year old having sex, and a 14 and 36 year old.)

I think it's best to have such laws, how many younger folks have sex because of peer pressure, when they didn't really want it until they started being pressured about it?

18 is far too high.

15 is still slightly too high.

I agree with that author, slightly modified; if you're mature enough to want sex, you're mature enough to give informed consent. You're not necessarily (in fact you probably are not) mature enough to be mature about having sex; you're probably not mature enough to know how to make a good decision, but that's not something the law is or should be concerned with and it's not something many people ever achieve. All you need to give informed consent is the ability to tell the difference between a good decision and a bad decision.

You can't give consent to sex before puberty because it is very important to understand not only your own sex drive, but also the sex drive of the other person. At least to realize what it is is important. Around 13-14 you gain both an understanding of your own sex drive and an understanding that other people have it too.

Incidentally, I don't like similar-in-age laws, because they're essentially admitting that the normal Ao C is too high. If a 14-year-old is old enough to know that she wants to have sex with a 16-year-old, she is old enough to know she wants to have sex with anybody at all. You don't suddenly get more mature when you're thinking about boning members of your own age group.

EDIT:

I think it's best to have such laws, how many younger folks have sex because of peer pressure, when they didn't really want it until they started being pressured about it?

Not the government's job to stop this.

I think another reason they exist is to prevent much older people taking advantage of younger people's curiosity around sex. Which is why a lot of places has laws about the age of partners (Or they don't prosecute if someone underage has sex with someone just over age. There's a huge power difference between a 14 and 16 year old having sex, and a 14 and 36 year old.)

IS the government's job to stop this, which is why it is (or should be) covered under normal rape. Not all 36 year olds hold enough power over all 14 year olds to make all sex between all 36 year olds and all 14 year olds automatically rape. I would say it's never a good decision to fuck a 36 year old when you're 14, but again, the government should not be in the business of outlawing bad decisions; the government should only be in the business of ensuring there is a decision at all.

edited 30th Dec '10 9:42:42 PM by BlackHumor

Maybe I'm a bit biased myself because I'm under 18 and have had sex and, probably to the shock of all the pro-abstinence people who come to high schools to preach about the evils of sex, I don't regret it one bit. It was fun and I enjoyed it, and I don't feel "used" or "dirty" or anything like that, so it kind of pisses me off to see a bunch of old geezers (no offense :P) saying "NO you couldn't possibly be capable of handling it!"

It's hard to pin down because a people mature at different rates physically, sexually, and emotionally. That said, about fifteen sounds good legally, even being the weirdo 27-yr-old virgin that I am.

It's still really fucking weird to think of my teenage nephew as sexually active though. At risk of sounding like an old fogey, it doesn't seem all that long ago I was still babysitting the little shit.

And if anyone touches my niece I will kill them. Girl's not as mature as she pretends she is and is ripe for being pressured into sex, especially as my sister is on record saying that the only reason someone should still be a virgin at sixteen is if they're unattractive. Way to go, dumbass.

edited 30th Dec '10 9:43:31 PM by Bur

Again, 18 is WAY too high. By 18 most teenagers have long passed "mature enough to have sex" and have gotten to "have had sex already".

The thing is that there is a difference between a 14-year-old having sex with a 16-year-old and that same 14-year-old having sex with a 36-year-old: the power dynamic. The 36-year-old is much more likely to be in a position of authority and control over the 14-year-old, and thus have the ability to coerce sex.

Me, I've known 14-year-olds who were completely mature and ready to have sex and 22-year-olds who weren't at all. It's very hard to find a point universal to everyone. If I were to go with my gut feeling I'd say 16, but it won't be right for everyone. Ah well.

edited 30th Dec '10 9:47:54 PM by merton

It's sixteen where I am I believe, and I would be against having it any lower than that.

Just curious: Does anyone actually go look for and prosecute cases where the underage-overage(?) sex is consensual? If they're discreet about it and don't tell anybody, it's not like anyone would know, right?

Black Humor: So, you're in favor of repealing the age limits on smoking and drinking, as well? I mean, if you're mature enough to *want* to drink ... As for having a sex drive, knowing that you have one is not the same as understanding how it affects your thinking and motivations. Hell, most adults aren't self-aware enough to control their sex drive, let alone teens in the middle of puberty.

Brakakaka: I had sex before I was 18 as well, and that's one of the things that has made me think Age of Consent laws should be higher. I wasn't mature enough to handle the possible consequences when I was sexually involved. I don't think I was really mature enough until after I had gotten married.

Bur: My, your sister sounds classy.

It's generally only prosecuted on one of the parties goes to the cops.

Mellon: The only cases I'm aware of for that kind of situation has been cases where the parents of the underage person have taken it to the police/prosecutor. I mean, most of the teacher/student sex relationships that have hit the news certainly appear to be consensual. But that doesn't make them legal, moral, or wise.

Black Humor: So, you're in favor of repealing the age limits on smoking and drinking, as well? I mean, if you're mature enough to *want* to drink ... As for having a sex drive, knowing that you have one is not the same as understanding how it affects your thinking and motivations. Hell, most adults aren't self-aware enough to control their sex drive, let alone teens in the middle of puberty.

Essentially, yes. There's no reason an 18-year-old should be any more mature about smoking or drinking than a 16=year-old. Both would clearly be more mature than a 3-year-old, but I would say that knowing what constitutes a "good decision" when it comes to smoking or drinking comes around 14-15; maybe you could make an argument for a bit later.

But it's again not the government's business to ensure its citizens make good decisions; it's there to protect you from having other people's decisions forced upon you. The ability to make bad decisions is a necessary evil to protect the good of the ability to make decisions at all.

NINJA EDIT: As for having a sex drive, knowing that you have one is not the same as understanding how it affects your thinking and motivations. Hell, most adults aren't self-aware enough to control their sex drive, let alone teens in the middle of puberty.

...why is this an argument for increasing the age of consent? This is effectively an admittance that your own standard is worthless, since it would prevent many adults from ever having sex.

EDIT: most of the teacher/student sex relationships that have hit the news certainly appear to be consensual. But that doesn't make them legal, moral, or wise.

Teacher/student is likely to be just normal rape (coercion); there's no need to add laws against the age gap itself.

edited 30th Dec '10 10:37:46 PM by BlackHumor

The main reason age of consent laws exist in the first place is to get around the sometimes mucky issue of whether or not there was "consent" in the first place.
I will admit that perhaps 18 is too high (that's where it is where I live, so I'm used to it) but I'm not sure it should go any lower than 16. When you consider that the parts of the brain responsible for risk evaluation don't finish development until age 22 or so...

Black Humor: The body, and the brain, are still undergoing changes from puberty up until around age 21, IIRC. Scientifically, that's the best reason I have for keeping (or raising) the age of consent. While it often feels like you have the knowledge and experience to make a major decision at that age, the brain and its hormonal balance are still in a state of flux. If they haven't finished maturing physically, then how do you justify treating them as though they have matured sufficiently emotionally or mentally? (edit) The Ninja got ninja'd! I am filled with shame! (/edit)

As for preventing adults from having sex, I certainly believe there's plenty of them that shouldn't be. :D After a certain age, if they haven't learned how to make good decisions, there's nothing that can be done about it.

edited 31st Dec '10 12:30:13 AM by BlueNinja0

What do you think of the issue that is the age of consent? Do you have other ideas about how it should be organised?

Ive said it before and I WILL say it again - ABOLISH the Age of Consent.

EDIT: AOC laws were created..i mean raided out of a moral panic and puritanical beliefs in the UK and USA in the late 1800s....

edited 31st Dec '10 1:55:17 AM by BalloonFleet

Keep it a secret. Act like it's a high number like twenty or something, but if two teens get caught fucking in the closet just tell them "Hey, cool, you're old enough to consent. Don't tell anyone else."

Why?

Also....that shit spreads like wildfire. Rumors would abound anyway.

Thisis NOT Spartaaaaa

edited 31st Dec '10 1:45:51 AM by BalloonFleet