another WTF moment...

Found this Canadian news story about the age of consent, which is currently under debate in our northern neighbor:

The story begins: "The Conservatives have moved to raise the age of sexual consent by two years to 16, saying kids need better protection from adult predators in an Internet era."

Now, that does NOT make sense to me... making teenagers more vulnerable by giving them the right to say YES when they may not understand what they're getting into does NOT equate to "protection" in my view.


Mixed reviews for sexual consent bill
http://tinyurl.com/jlc5o

You are aware they are wanting to move it from the current 14 to 16 right? Not from 18 to 16.

Yeah, I think you're misreading it...by doing this, 14 and 15 year olds would no longer be able to consent, which they can now.

I don't see a whole lot of increased rationality of teenagers at 16, compared to 14-yr-olds. You think they're actually mature enough to consent to sex and marriage at 16?

I have to point out that the whole 18+ thing is a fairly modern invention. And I don't think most people (of any age) consider "am I mature enough to make this choice? Can I raise a baby? Am I sure I want to marry this person?"

We get carried along by the flow of hormones fairly easily, sixteen OR eighteen.

I'm not in a position to judge that. But did you misread the article or are you attacking it because it doesn't raise it as high as you think it should? And what age do you think the line should be at?

Amen

There are states in the US where 12 is still the legal age of censent, so why are you worried about Cananda?

We're also implenting a 5 year difference thing, so young kids don't get slapped with statutory rape charges for playing with their peckers.

You mean take a sensible approach so your eighteen year old boys who've been dating their girlfriends for years don't go to jail for having sex?

Wow.

zOMG!

This is what's wrong with the statutory rape law as it stands. Age shouldn't be a f*cking factor! No means No, whether your 8 or 18. SR as it stands just gives those opposed to a relationship a tool to end it once a person hits a certain age.
(personal experience)

You seem to have those WTF moments so often, uh! Well anyways, let me tell you something, I live there (in Quebec).
While I vividly hate Stephen Harper, I think for once he makes sens.

I don't know for you guys, but there IS a difference between 14 and 16. Just like there IS a difference between 12 and 14... At 12 you act mature, but you still have some really hardcore questionning going on, more then wanting to please. At 14 you try to avoid questionning yourself, and you are almost ready to do whatever someone older or cooler asks you to feel better... At 16 you start questionning yourself again, but this time with a newly gained maturity. Not so much a kid anymore.
Besides, the bar they want to raise has absolutely nothing to do with getting married. It is about sexual relations with/without consent, by the way.

The thing they want to implant will be complicated but clever, sorta.
First they want to higher the "i can have sex without my parent's consent" from 14 to 16.
Second they also want to add to that a law where a 2 years difference (something like that, I hear it on the radio almost daily but it's hard to remember) would be aloud.
For an exemple, someone 19 could sleep with someone 17.
I gulped at first because of the majority versus minority aspect, but then again it kind of makes sens... I am 23 and I have a 4 years old son. Wich means, yes, that I was pregnant at 18. Was I completely ready? Yes and no...
I don't think those rules about ages are so tight anywhere in the world, they are different in every country because... well every country IS different and values are as well.
But my point is, it's not because these rules are a bit woobly and silly that we don't need them, and I think for once, they are really trying to do their best to accomodate teenagers in our new era where sexuality is omnipresent and so important (and yes, even if parents try their best to teach them, it'll happen anyways on 80% of the cases).
As I was saying, my son is 4, and I wouldn't be surprised if he has his first sexual relations at 12. The more we advance in time, the lower that age gets. Reality.
Anyways I could go own forever and get lost in my thoughts but, I just wanted to light people up about it because you kinda fucked it a bit.
Oh also, I know I will have typos, my langage is french, and yes, I try my best. Thanks.

Yes, but those are the states we're usually most embarrassed by.

I've read in newspapers before about a 17 yr old being arrested on SR charges for having sex with his 16 yr girlfriend. Naturally, he's in jail. Easiest solution, yes? Catch teens doing what teens do & throw 'em in jail to be "rehabilitated".... as in: gang raped, pick up some cool drug habits, get beaten, etc, etc. Maybe that can be the NEW marketing for the "abstinence" programs? Have sex = Go to Jail.

Also, back in college, there was this girl in our group. We were talking about our ages & she mentioned to us she was 17. She asked how old I was, I said "28". She says "OH WOW! Thats how old my mother is!"

Yea, do the math on that one!

I thought you still peed with it at that age.

BTW- she never graduated. I think she failed out due to excessive partying, smoking weed, and several other drug habits.

I'm all about raising it to 25

my youngest son told me about this the other day.
"Here in GA if the girl accuses the guy of SR, thats it he's in trouble. Whether he did her or not. One of his friends apparently went out with a 17 year old while he was 19. He found out her age and dumped her for this very reason. Only to get brought up on SR charges because she was mad about it."

SR is probably the most abused law subsection in the south. It gets used ALL the time by girls who want to railroad their ex-boyfriends, and sometimes ex-girlfriends. And it functions, because two underage people can still charge each other with statuatory rape.

"Was there sex?"
"yes"
BOOM you're in jail.

LOWER ages of consent are better, because it forces parents to be more responsible for their children. If they fail at parenthood, well, that's their problem.

Uhh, I think she dropped out because judging from her math skills, she was just plain too stupid.

Actually, it's physically possible to get pregnant at 11 - there have been documented cases even earlier than this (5 is the record, twisted as that is). So, she sure as hezmana came from one seriously hosed background, but I wouldn't call it impossible. (Her mother was probably 38 though, and she just had a braino).

"At 12 you act mature, but you still have some really hardcore questionning going on, more then wanting to please. At 14 you try to avoid questionning yourself, and you are almost ready to do whatever someone older or cooler asks you to feel better... At 16 you start questionning yourself again, but this time with a newly gained maturity. Not so much a kid anymore."

Unless you're basing this on anything other than personal experience, there's nothing useful in what you say.

In my opinion (and it's my opinion, mind you), nobody is able to maturely handle sex until they're exposed to it and are given time to experiment, learn and make judgements on it, whatever their age. I think it is better to expose people to sex when their body is ready for it, making sure that their mind is also ready for it as soon as possible.

Otherwise you just have what we have now: teenagers running around with adult bodies and adult urges, but the minds of children when it comes to sex. This cannot be good for anyone.

When puberty hits, that's when kids need to know what their body is capable of, and that's when they need to be given the responsibility to handle it. Slapping an arbitrary "mature now" age on kids isn't going to work...because the body just doesn't listen, and it'll mature whenever it damn well pleases...and that's usually earlier than most current laws would like.

Musuko.

Just ban sex altogether, if we all just use artificial insemination the world will be so much less offencive!

"Just ban sex altogether, if we all just use artificial insemination the world will be so much less offencive!"

-c +s.

Sex isn't just for making babies, you know.

At least, I assume you know. *stares* Do you?

Musuko.