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In reply to the discussion: Is it okay for a 18 year old to have sex with a 14 year old [View all]A 14 year old can be just as smart and capable of making decisions as an 18 year old. Sometimes they can't. Sometimes a 14 year old can be more mature than an 18 year old. It's hard to draw a fine line. But a line has to be drawn somewhere. I can't disagree with a felony charge for an 18 year old sleeping with a 10 year old, even if it is consensual. Should 14 be the limit, what about 13, 12? What if the 13 year old turns 14 the next day? I hate to see kids lives ruined over rape charges for consensual sex and the current laws need tweaking. But there has to be some limit.
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I just found a picture of my 14 year old aunt with her 30 something yr old husband -
sammytko
May 2013
#13
so we should drop those"sex with a minor" charges for Warren Jeffs - he did marry that 12 year-old
DrDan
May 2013
#110
That we live in a slightly less patriarchal time where girls are allowed to
Ed Suspicious
May 2013
#46
Warren Jeffs married a 12-year old . . . I guess that is ok as long as they officially marry?
DrDan
May 2013
#102
So should a 14 year old be able to obtain bc without parental consent? an abortion?
cali
May 2013
#71
So, in your opinion, a 13 year old is mature enough to make decisions about sex and preganancy?
merrily
May 2013
#122
Adulthood comes in stages. The law used to recognize that before we went to "one size fits all"
Hekate
May 2013
#159
Would being in the same social circle, going to the same parties, etc. be the same peer group?
merrily
May 2013
#127
Sociologically, "peer group" is a more elastic term than middle school or high school.
merrily
May 2013
#192
What if its a 19 year old that was held back a year. Or an 18 year old who dropped out of HS
onenote
May 2013
#129
Just for the record, the case this is referring to is not a statutory rape charge, it's 2 felony
ScreamingMeemie
May 2013
#156
It depends. A flat-out zero-tolerance approach denies the humanity of those involved.
Comrade Grumpy
May 2013
#4
I'm a little shocked by the 20% of DUers who think that a child can truly give "consent"
Nye Bevan
May 2013
#10
TERRIBLE argument there. 39 and 30 is OK, so 20 and 11 should also be OK! (nt)
Nye Bevan
May 2013
#20
Should not be a felony. If there are extenuating circumstances, then moreso.
uppityperson
May 2013
#183
Big diff. tween maturity and brain development & judgment skills of 21 vs 14 yr old.
Honeycombe8
May 2013
#241
14 year olds cannot contract for magazines, let alone make decisions about sex and pregnancy.
merrily
May 2013
#58
I'm creeped out by DUers arguing that middle-schoolers can give actual "consent"
Nye Bevan
May 2013
#17
That is not true in every state. Some states criminalize only the adult's activity. And that is
merrily
May 2013
#115
Should 14 year olds have surgery without their parents knowledge? Using your little trick
KittyWampus
May 2013
#117
I consented to having sex repeatedly as a teenager. I think one or two others might have, too.
Comrade Grumpy
May 2013
#24
My problem is not having sex but the potential for coercion or abuse due to power differential
uppityperson
May 2013
#157
How many 14 year olds do you know? Do you know how many are sexually active?
morningfog
May 2013
#244
why is it scary? How do you reconcile, making bc and abortion accessible to a 14 yo
cali
May 2013
#29
Again, it is not just having sex but the power differential, like between a teacher and a student
uppityperson
May 2013
#40
No bullshit. There can be and often is a large difference between 14 and 18 and the potential for
uppityperson
May 2013
#112
Access to contraception should not be viewed of tacit approval of underage sex.
Ed Suspicious
May 2013
#68
The subject of the OP IS approval ('Is it ok?) - NOT "recognizing the reality"
redqueen
May 2013
#119
No except in ery rare cases. Problem is not just 4 yrs but the power differential
uppityperson
May 2013
#32
Her mother says 18. I've been going with the mother, because (although they're both involved in the
ScreamingMeemie
May 2013
#236
Thank you, glad to see someone else sees this also. Agree with your points here
uppityperson
May 2013
#164
Even biologically, the brain of a 14 year old is not fully developed. And then, there is experience
merrily
May 2013
#78
and neither is the brain of a 20 year old. there are huge variances between people
cali
May 2013
#104
And your point is that we should have different statutory rape ages for every individual?
merrily
May 2013
#111
a 18 year old is still just a teenager. def not felony worthy. we dont think they are smart enough
La Lioness Priyanka
May 2013
#81
There should be a two tiered high school system where 9th and tenth can socialize
Ed Suspicious
May 2013
#84
Absolutely not, but whether it should be a serious criminal matter is a harder question.
Donald Ian Rankin
May 2013
#86
When my grandparents started dating, she was 14 and he was 18. They just celebrated their 69th
Electric Monk
May 2013
#92
I dont know about your grandma, but i think a 14 year old is not mature enough to consent
darkangel218
May 2013
#141
Why? Are you planning on it? We used to call those girls jail bait for a reason
Hekate
May 2013
#143
You've got your sign the wrong way round, so your answer should be 'no, it's not OK'
muriel_volestrangler
May 2013
#266
The question isn't if you are mature enough to handle sex, its if you are able to care for a baby.
dkf
May 2013
#194
By your 'sensible' rules, men with a vasectomy would get a pass, as would anal and oral sex
muriel_volestrangler
May 2013
#267
So do you think she should be charged with a felony and sent to prison?
backscatter712
May 2013
#205
I didn't read it as that at all. I think the poster was applying common sense.
ScreamingMeemie
May 2013
#206
don't the guidelines need to be specific? does a 14 year old having sex with someone who
DrDan
May 2013
#208