should having sex with teenagers be illegal?

[Tish-the-Scorpion]

i know its a weired question but its a serious one.because i don't think their should be a statitory rap law.

i understand why molesting or having sex with a preteen is a crime but why a teenager? people say that the adults took advantage of them.and that said teenager didn't know anybetter.


but let one of these teenagers kill someone they are now somehow seen as being mature enough to know what they did is wrong.but in the other scenerio their depicted as immature and can't make good decisions for themselves.

so is teenagers competent or not what is it?

[CHEYENNE-BLACKBIRD]

actualy theres a really simple explaination...............they are making exceptions so they can put the person in jail. nothing more nothing less.most defense laws are made to keep the ACLU pleased and keep them off law inforcements back I GUESS.but they rarely ever go by them.like putting mentally ill people on death row instead of a mental hospital.or trying a 12 year old as an adult.so taking the innocent defense because of insanity,or young age rarely ever works.because they really just wanna see you in jail and nowhere else.

[GremlinClr]

I think the law is completely arbitrary really. A 17 year old one day from their 18th birthday can't legally have sex with an 18 year old.

I guess there has to be a law but (and I don't know how it would work, maybe they should have the teens take a test) I think it should be based on mental maturity, not physical. Some 16 year olds are more mentally mature than some 30 year olds.

If it's consentual I have no problem with it.

[Shellhead]

This is something that has been bothering me for a while. (No, not because I want to have sex with teenagers, since I have trouble enough getting along with women in their 20's.) Biology determines when a person is physically ready to have sex, and it's years before age 18. But our modern society, possibly as a result of our bountiful wealth (even welfare recipients today live more lavishly than medieval kings in some respects) has artificially raised the age at which we consider people to be adults. In the past, teenagers were able to start families, hold jobs, and fight in wars, but now we keep them in school and keep them as dependents for years past puberty.

I was probably a typical teenage guy in that I was fairly obsessed with sex, especially the year before I lost my virginity at age 15. Actually, I remained pretty obsessed with sex even afterwards. By our society's standards, that makes me a bad person, but I know that's ridiculous.

We probably need a legal status between adult and child. Teenagers should have the right to have sex with each other, but maybe not adults, or at least not adults who are more than a few years older. Teenagers should also be held to a stricter legal standard than children, so that teens who kill don't just get a "get out of jail free" card when they hit 18.

[Dreadstar]

I like to joke that I commited statutory rape on the very first day I was capable of it.

True, by the letter of the statutory law itself.

BUT, there are a good many statutes on the books that allow for interpretation of that law. The legal eagles here (HELP ME GUYS) could provide better insight. Basically, there are clauses or whatever that allow for the 18 year-old high school senior to not be charged for having sex with say a 17 year-old high school junior.

Now, if they caught *me* having sex with a 17 year-old high school junior, they'd throw away the key.

So I don't get caught.

[blackdragon6]

if its consentual then its not rape in my opinion..............at all.

i think some laws are built off of morality (wich is always subjective) then keeping people safe from harm.stupid laws don't do anything but convolute an already screwed up legal system.

[Dreadstar]

if its consentual then its not rape in my opinion..............at all.

The problem being, of course, at what point in a person's developement can they truly be considered to be "consenting?"

Now, I knew a 16 year-old that was completely aware of her sexuality and where it was going, and I've known a 22 year-old that shouldn't have been allowed to decide what to have for breakfast.

So, since such things are subjective, and yet there are specific protections that should be ensured, the law provides an arbitrary "line."

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Different states have different laws. The Law In Utah I believe says you have to 16 to be an adult to engage In sex . In another Its 17 and In WV Its 18 I believe.

I was watching a Law & Order :SVU show awhile back and a 21 yearold fell In love with a 16 yearold. Well her mom was angry and wanted to put him away. But the girl wouldn't say he raped her and wouldn't admit they even had sex.


The cop asked : " Couldn't you wait 1 more year and then she'd be a legal adult and you 2 could do what you wanted ? "


In the end Its about self control I'm sure as well as common sense. That case ended when the girl went Insane on her mom and killed her. She went to a detention center for children for the next 2 years .

[JerrBear81]

I think this is a complicated issue. As someone pointed out, its not so big a deal if they're only a few years apart. I'd say three years at the most. However, it definitely matters when they're 6+ years apart.

[StoneGold]

That case ended when the girl went Insane on her mom and killed her. She went to a detention center for children for the next 2 years .
Isn't that how they always end though?

[JerrBear81]

Isn't that how they always end though?

Not reallly, They usually end at the Post Office.

[clayholio]

I'm pretty sure no law is going to stop teenagers from having sex. It's a different issue if it's between teenagers or if it's someone much older having sex with a teenager (which is no good at all), but I'm not sure statutory rape laws do anything other than placate parents that feel like they've lost control. Unfortunately, the law doesn't do a good job of taking other factors into consideration, so it's far easier to just say that people under 18 are off limits than to ask individually if each person was mature enough to give consent.

[JerrBear81]

I'm pretty sure no law is going to stop teenagers from having sex. It's a different issue if it's between teenagers or if it's someone much older having sex with a teenager (which is no good at all), but I'm not sure statutory rape laws do anything other than placate parents that feel like they've lost control. Unfortunately, the law doesn't do a good job of taking other factors into consideration, so it's far easier to just say that people under 18 are off limits than to ask individually if each person was mature enough to give consent.

Also, the teenager could just say they're not having sex.

[tricksterpup]

yeesh, who would want to have sex with a teenager?? Find someone in their 30's who actually knows what they are doing.. :D

[west3man]

i don't think their should be a statitory rap law.

...and the Hip-Hop community thanks you for your support.

[Daniel Lewis]

...and the Hip-Hop community thanks you.


west3man, you made me laugh for the first time today.

Thank You.

[SAMAS]

yeesh, who would want to have sex with a teenager?? Find someone in their 30's who actually knows what they are doing.. :D

Yes, but if you happen to be a teenager, that's not really an option. :D

Mostly, it would be there to stop stupid things like the 16-year-old boy who was arrested on child pornography charges for having sexy pictures... of his 17-year-old wife.

[west3man]

west3man, you made me laugh for the first time today.

Thank You.
Happy to be of service.

[StoneGold]

...and the Hip-Hop community thanks you for your support.
I'd say the music community in general. That way, Ted Nugent wouldn't have to get parents to sign over guardianship of their children before he eventually marries them.

[Leslie Lee III]

Ehh....I'm okay with the law on the books as long as it is properly interpreted on a case by case basis. 18 and 16? Okay. 16 and 22? Let's think about that one. 16 and 26? No way.

[JerrBear81]

...and the Hip-Hop community thanks you for your support.

Oh, oh! Burn! That's gotta burn! Sorry, Kelso of that 70's Show kind of inspires me to say Burn :D

[cosmic cat]

I think it would come down to a case by case basis like some people have said.

Yes, some people at fifteen, or sixteen, younger, older, whatever, feel ready to have sex. However, if you're substantially older, it could be viewed that your in a position of authority. The younger person might look up to you in a lot of regards. They want you to accept them, appreciate them, etc. and in an offhanded way, you *could* be co-ercing them into doing things they might not necissarily feel comfortable or ready to do. Maybe they dont even realize it. Some people just dont think through the consequences.
is this always the case? certainly not. Could it happen at any age? sure. I personally dont have a problem with older people dating younger people, and vice versa, so long as both parties are consenting, but I can see why people would have concerns, and I can see why people feel the need to discourage it.

[BlairH]

Speaking as an 18 year old virgin I suggest the following

Age of consent to be equal to 16 for both parties involved in intercourse
Rape be defined as any sexual violation of one's body without proper consent
Statutory rape should be made a non issue and replaced with a lesser offence.

[Smokey]

i think the legal age should be brought down to 16, im not saying im one of those pervs who wanna go bang some young girl, but theres a lot of girls that lie about their age and put out, and guys shouldnt suffer cuz of whores

[blackdragon6]

Statutory rape should be made a non issue and replaced with a lesser offence.i agree.............

[blackdragon6]

, but theres a lot of girls that lie about their age and put out, and guys shouldnt suffer cuz of whoresi agree with that aswell.........

[Paradox]

Smokey needs to consult a search engine:

i think the legal age should be brought down to 16,

It already is in many states.

http://www.webistry.net/jan/consent.html

Heh, it always freaks Morts out that I know where such info is, but...really, all I do is type "age of consent" and "state" into a search engine. :)

[Forefinger]

Different people mature at different rates, both mentally and physically. Some teens might be fully ready to have sex at 15 or so in both those aspects, but many more aren't ready in either. They had to draw a line somewhere for people to not cross. They just went with 18 to be safe in most states. In some states the consentual sex age is much lower. I'd take it on a case by case basis. That being said, I see far too many teenage girls around that I'd like a piece of. I'm a dirty old man at 27.

[Doom]

...and the Hip-Hop community thanks you for your support.


Now I have to say, that was funny. Well timed too.

[Michael P]

OK, Mississippi is weird. There, 16 is the legal age for all boys, but if the girl is over 12, it only applies if she's a virgin. That leaves the door open for a lot of weird permutations.

[Slick]

OK, Mississippi is weird. There, 16 is the legal age for all boys, but if the girl is over 12, it only applies if she's a virgin.
What's that mean? Jail-bait is a anyone under 13 and anyone between 12 and 16 as long as they're still a virgin? Am I reading that right?