I've commented, rather omniously, about the new liberal social agenda--making sex with kids legal. No doubt my liberal-left associates will protest vehemently against the characterization, but I've seen it all before. I'm still amazed at how gays have gone from social pariahs to politically-correct sexuality inside of thirty years. All the same signs are there from de facto decriminalization of child rape to photographing 15 year old girls in the nude for a major national magazine.
They're getting a little braver now, sniffing the wind and listening for footsteps, but daring to come out into the light a little bit at a time.
Part of me agrees with the commenter outrage, but I think the Jezebels have something here. This particular case is likely just plain wrong and out of the gray area (I just don't know enough about it), but in general I find myself saying, "Yeah, but ..." when it comes to the age of consent. Thirteen is young. No doubt about it. But 18 strikes me as a little old if we're talking about the youngest age at which someone can say yes and mean yes. Isn't it just a little condescending?Full disclosure (or is it oversharing?): I entered into a relationship with an older man when I was 18. I knew what I was doing, and frankly, I would have known what I was doing at 17 or at 16. But since this wasn't a Romeo-and-Juliet situation (i.e., we weren't just a couple of years apart in age), it would've been criminal to get together any earlier. To which I say, get off my back, government!
These laws are very culture- and century-specific. What we call May-December now would have been called June-September not too long ago. Not everyone's sexual desires fit neatly into the particular mores of the time they live in.
Notice how the issue is being framed? Personal freedom. Human rights. A sixteen year old should be able to make her own decisions about her sexuality. No mention of the awful truth that the bulk of teenage pregnancies and HIV transmission is at the hands of older men.
California has the most ridiculously high teenaged pregnancy rate in the country, and therefore in the western world--many times that of France or Germany. It costs taxpayers in that state 3.3 billion dollars a year to deal with the issue in typical liberal fashion--do nothing, ask for more tax dollars to "deal with the problem". Attempts were made in the mid-nineties to increase prosecutions of statutory rape--increasing to 600 from 400, which ain't much when you consider there were an estimated 50,000 teen pregnancies involving older men at that time. Its more now, and its projected to increase.
That's a major public health crisis by any standard, not just the quaint sexual mores or a repressed society. I wonder if the author has any children of her own?
Probably not.
Posted by Mick Stockinger on July 14, 2008 5:44 PM
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Comments (1)
As the father of a 17 year old and 16 year old (girls), I'd be more than slightly pissed off if I found out either one was having a 'May-December' and shortly afterwords the Decmeber would go missing. Hey, I'm from Jersey...I know people.
My 17 year old is very mature and responsible for her age, her mother and I saw to that. I also know (and I'm not supposed to) that she's no longer a virgin. It was her choice and she was double safe (pill and condom). The boy was her age. Would I have preferred she wait longer? Most definitely. But when it came down to it, it was her choice and she told her mother she does actually regret it. She feels she should have waited.
Her sister is far more innocent and less mature and that I blame on her biological father and the way he's been raising and treating her. Fortunately, she and her big sister are in close contact and I'm sure the older is schooling the younger better than we parents could.
All that said, my grandmother married at 14 and had my aunt at 15. My great grandmother married a man twice her age when she was 20 and said once, "I'd rather be an old mans young thing than a young mans slave." Of course, those were far different times and children grew up harder and faster for good reason. Today we have the luxury of an extended adolescence. It's really a shame some perverts want to take full advantage of it.
Posted by Ryan | July 15, 2008 6:56 PM
Posted on July 15, 2008 18:56