Should it be legal for an 18 yr old to have sex with a 14 yr old?

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   VVanNessposted 10 years ago

   At the moment, in most states this brings up the laws and statutes protecting minors. Regardless of whether or not the minor is "consenting" is null and void due to their minor status. In many states, even an 18 year old with a 17 or 16 year old is illegal.
   
   However, a legal case is currently being held to determine if the same rules that apply to heterosexual relationships also applies to homosexual ones. An 18 year old girl has been caught in a sexual relationship with a 14 year old girl and charges are being brought against her. But the parents are fighting it because they see it as discrimination rather than statutory rape. What is your opinion?

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      autumn18posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      My opinion is that it shouldn't matter if it's same sex or not. Minor is minor.

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         VVanNessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Exactly.

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         Josakposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         +1

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      wildernessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      If the parents win the case it will be because there is a loophole in existing laws (which unfortunately does happen).
      
      No sane lawmaker would write a law on statutory rape with such a meaning in mind.

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         Uninvited Writerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I wonder if the parents would have wanted to involve the police if it was an 18 year old boy? Of course, we will never know.

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            Motown2Chitownposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            I can guarantee that they would.  I have a very close family friend whose son is currently serving a 3 year prison sentence because of an identical situation.  It has nothing at all to do with sexual orientation or the gender of those involved.  It has to do with violating a child, and the parents doing what they believe is right to protect their child.  Regardless of the fact that this case involves two girls, it involves statutory rape, in which case, the law is no respecter of persons.
            
            *Edit - after reading about this situation, I can also share something else.  This young lady's parents felt that she should reject the plea deal, which involved NO jail time at all.  The young man I spoke of above got three years in jail - and that WAS his plea deal.  IMO, I feel it incredibly likely that if the 18 year old girl in the case above had been the victim, her parents would certainly have felt that the older person in question should face consequences.  It's interesting that since their daughter is the perpetrator in the case, they feel she should simply be forgiven and allowed to move on with no consequence.  In addition to that, they keep rambling on about how the case is only garnering attention because it involves two individuals of the same gender.  That's bullshit.  It's garnering attention because they built a Facebook page and ran running to anyone who would hear them to 'defend' their daughter.  Had it simply been left to the county in which they live to prosecute and deal with the case, I would be willing to bet that no one would be paying it any mind at all.

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               VVanNessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Exactly. This case shouldn't have been given a second thought. The girl committed a crime against a child and should be treated like any other victimizer in this situation.

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            wildernessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            I doubt that you would find very many parents that would collect evidence or call the cops on their child that is "loving" a younger child.  They may (probably will) understand that they should, but won't do it.  It would be a very tough thing to do, and the possibility of rationalizing it into a different relationship very very high.

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               VVanNessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               You know wilderness, I was the victim in this exact same situation at 13 and my parents did absolutely nothing. I've never forgiven them. The only parents that wouldn't protect their children simply don't care.

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                  wildernessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  I think we're talking about different parents; I spoke of the parents of the rapist, not the victim.  I'd have to agree that something is very, very wrong when the parents of a raped child don't take action.

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                     Josakposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                     I don't know, if when my son was 16 he had been going out with an 18 year old (I believe this is illegal in some places) I would have talked to him about it and if he was OK I wouldn't have reported it.

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                        VVanNessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                        I think that would be a slightly different situation though. Still illegal in most states if parents want to press charges, but sometimes kids a year or two apart are just dating. 13 and 15, and even younger, is a completely different story.

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            VVanNessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Well of course the parents wouldn't have wanted to involve the police regardless of whether the 18 year old was a boy or a girl. It's their child. But the way they're going about trying to get their daughter out of the charges is just wrong.

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   Dr Billy Kiddposted 10 years ago

   I think the better question is: Should an 18 year old be able to impregnate a 14 year old and not be responsible for the baby (which is raised on welfare) or for the abortion?

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      VVanNessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      What?!

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   Beth37posted 10 years ago

   The child's innocence was taken. Sex is sex regardless of penetration.

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      wildernessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Not according to Bill Clinton....

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         Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

         haha, I thought the same thing, but I was afraid someone would think I was taking a potshot at democrats.

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            wildernessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

              Doesn't much matter to me; I dislike Republicans nearly as much.  Or at least the politician of either side - most people are decent creatures at heart.

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               Beth37posted 10 years agoin reply to this

               You think so? Im watching Arrested Development. It makes it hard to imagine that's true.

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