General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Is it okay for a 18 year old to have sex with a 14 year old [View all]dkf
(37,305 posts)That is why the younger person being 14 is a problem. The reason we don't prosecute peers is because they both may be under age.
The power argument exists in many other relationships regardless of age, and most psychological vulnerabilities aren't given as reasons to prosecute unless it was coercion.
Because we can't take individual situations into account we need to create laws based on a number that works. A 14 year old and an adult of any age seems a problem to me.
And equality means even if there isn't a chance of pregnancy of the younger person, it must all be treated the same. All 18 year olds should be sensitive to the fact that they have taken on the new risk of being tried and treated as an adult and that they are now fully responsible for their actions.
Really, if we were being sensible we would restrict this to underaged girls and older men, but being gender neutral means same sex and younger males must also be added to the equation.