Age of Consent

[wotgoplunk]

New movement Steven Harper has proposed that will raise Canada's age of consent (for sex) to 16, from its current 14, and is one of his big campaign issues.

Due to his current odd coalition with the official opposition, it's exceedingly possible it will pass.

So what is an appropriate age of consent?

(Also of note, Canada's age of consent for homosexual sex is set at 18, definitely striking me as an injustice, views on this?)

[leonidas]

Damn, gotta move to Canada before it changes.

14 and 15 are hawt ages.

[soliloquy]

I voted 17.  Just seems right o.o

[thalbergmad]

In the UK it is 16, but being the schoolgirl pregnancy capitol of the World, appears to indicate that people don't take a blind bit of notice.

I think 16 is about right, but i feel in England it should be increased for immigrants to help keep the population down.

I therefore propose the following increases:

India - 17
Pakistan - 17
China - 18
Iran - 18
Iraq - 19
Somalia - 25
Bulgaria - 42
Romania - 90

Thal

[wotgoplunk]

Damn, gotta move to Canada before it changes.

14 and 15 are hawt ages.

Move to Yemen- it's 9 there.

[wotgoplunk]

In the UK it is 16, but being the schoolgirl pregnancy capitol of the World, appears to indicate that people don't take a blind bit of notice.

Lol @ your proposed increases.

If people don't take any bit of notice, is it worth bothering with it?

[thalbergmad]

If people don't take any bit of notice, is it worth bothering with it?

Only in as much as it is supposed to protect younger people from pedo's. However, since here in jolly old England perverts often seem to get jobs as School Bus Drivers and Caretakers, our children would have no less protection if we had no age of consent at all.

I feel that is largely irrelevant, mostly unenforceable and generally ignored.

Thal

[soliloquy]

Only in as much as it is supposed to protect younger people from pedo's. However, since here in jolly old England perverts often seem to get jobs as School Bus Drivers and Caretakers, our children would have no less protection if we had no age of consent at all.

I feel that is largely irrelevant, mostly unenforceable and generally ignored.

Thal

I don't know about UK, but there are specific laws in most states where the age of consent is 18 but people 15 and over that are within 2/3 years apart depending on state can still legally have sex.

IE a 16 and 17 year old.  I think it's actually one of the few fairly logical laws concerning all of this XP

[leonidas]

Move to Yemen- it's 9 there.

Yemen? Yeah man!

[pianochick93]

Most people don't really pay any attention to laws anyway. They are just there to prevent someone say 20 having sex with someone about 15. Having said that, most 15 year olds, as long as they aren't drunk, would be able to know whether they are ready.

In South Australia it is 17, but most other parts of Australia it is 16. I wouldn't coonsider South Australia worthy of a whole different legal age. We aren't that special.

I think it should be 16 though, because 15 is year 10 over here...and that's next year or me!
I can't honestly say that I would consider it that early, but 16 seems reasonable to me.

It also depends on the partner, because I think the laws should be relaxed if you have been with your partner for a while, but you are still under the legal age. Say if you were 15, and had been with your partner since you were 13. I would think that those 2 people would be saying "Sure the law is there, but we have been together for a while, it isn't just a sex for the sake of it thing, you don't stay together for 2 years just so you can have sex."

[wotgoplunk]

Two people have said marriage?! 

[thalberg]

Hey if it were marriage, think of how many fewer problems we'd have! 

[wotgoplunk]

Hey if it were marriage, think of how many fewer problems we'd have! 

Think how little fun we'd have! 

[wotgoplunk]

Hey if it were marriage, think of how many fewer problems we'd have! 

I see your point...but first of all, it will only happen in an idealogical society. It's not a realistic goal.

So people who never marry...can't legally have sex? And you can only have sex with that same person? And what happens if someone gets divorced?

Plus, sex wouldn't be that great if both parties concerned have no prior knowledge whatsoever 

[soliloquy]

Hey if it were marriage, think of how many fewer problems we'd have! 

That would really suck for you then

[thalbergmad]

Plus, I'd imagine wedding night sex is not all it's cracked up to be

That is pretty obscene if read in a different way.

Thal

[wotgoplunk]

That is pretty obscene if read in a different way.

Thal

Hehe, so it is. I suppose I should edit that 

[zheer]

  In the Uk we have the "young mans defence", basically according to the english legal system, if a man 24 or under has consent from a 15 year old girl, he might be forgiven for thinking that the girls was over the age of 15.Therefore no criminal charges will be brought on him.

[thalbergmad]

That is a good idea as many girls of 15 or so dress to look older and could easily be mistaken for over 20.

Thal

[ahinton]

That is a good idea as many girls of 15 or so dress to look older and could easily be mistaken for over 20.

Thal

But at what age do you personally think it's legal to go to a Finnissy performance? Is it more or less than your age, Thal? (I ask this only because you were clearly noticeable by your absence at the recent one in London which you stated on this forum that you were planning to attend)...

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

I think the age of consent for Finnissy should be about 60.

Weekend Concerts would be much easier for me to get to.

Thal

[wotgoplunk]

I think the age of consent for Finnissy should be about 60.

Weekend Concerts would be much easier for me to get to.

Thal

    

[chopininov]

3 years old. I believe an individual has reached full maturity by this age, and is aware of all possible consequences.

[debussy symbolism]

Greetings

I personally believe that there is no such thing as "age of consent." It is highly erronious to think that every person has reached that position of being able to consent to anything only by assessing their age. Each individual is different, and everyone reaches the required level of maturity at a different time. By saying that the age of consent is a said age, it is assuming that all persons will reach that level of maturity upon that age, which is clearly impossible. There are many 12 year olds that can make mature judgements, and there are many adults that still need all their thinking to be done for them.

Since it is clearly impossible to judge each person based on their maturity level, it is far safer to assume a "safe" age. The age of consent should be no less than 16 I think, as it is the age that most teens reach a silght aspect of responsibility. Set the limit any higher and you will start hearing the angry teen's protests for sex.

[leonidas]

It is very difficult to have laws based on maturity levels rather than just ages, maybe people can be tested on it in the future? Seems odd.

[debussy symbolism]

As I said it is almost impossible to really have an adequate testing routine for every girl there is, and many girls will try to get tested, even those that are very extremely young and clearly not ready for consent.

[ahinton]

I think the age of consent for Finnissy should be about 60.

Michael Finnissy himself is above that age but none of the performers in his 5th and 6th piano concertos the other evening were...

Best,

Alistair

[wotgoplunk]

Michael Finnissy himself is above that age but none of the performers in his 5th and 6th piano concertos the other evening were...

Best,

Alistair

I'd love to see a Finnissey concert! Down with ages of consent!

[rob47]

why don't you all have a seat over there?

[mephisto]

If one uses earplugs and is above the age of 37 there should be no problems with attending a Finnissy concert. Being stone deaf would also come in handy.

[ahinton]

If one uses earplugs and is above the age of 37 there should be no problems with attending a Finnissy concert. Being stone deaf would also come in handy.

Earplugs would have been entirely redundant last Thursday; Finnissy's Fifth Concerto especially has almost no high dynamics and the Sixth not very many of them...

Best,

Alistair

[G.W.K]

Move to Yemen- it's 9 there.

Aye right. What is the point in 9 year olds doing it? Even if they knew how to...they couldn't as they wouldn't have started developing.

In the Uk we have the "young mans defence", basically according to the english legal system, if a man 24 or under has consent from a 15 year old girl, he might be forgiven for thinking that the girls was over the age of 15. Therefore no criminal charges will be brought on him.

Why do you say "in the UK" you mean "in England". Scottish laws are different. In Scotland it is still classified as rape even if the girl consented to having sexual intercourse.


In Scotland (and as far as I know the rest of the UK), you can have sexual intercourse at 16 straight or lezbian. However, gay men cannot have sex until 18. LOL...how odd is that?

G.W.K

[ramithediv]

I have two young daughters. 

I would vote for 21 or never. 

Kids these days are growing up too quickly. 

They are missing out. 

[G.W.K]

I have two young daughters.
I would vote for 21 or never.
Kids these days are growing up too quickly.
They are missing out.

I can understand that you are concerned for your daughters and want to protect them. But it is a part of life...the age of consent I would make younger and the having children (even though there is no consent age for this) should be over 21, in my opinion.

G.W.K

[zheer]

Why do you say "in the UK" you mean "in England". Scottish laws are different. In Scotland it is still classified as rape even if the girl consented to having sexual intercourse.

    Yes,England and Wales.

[G.W.K]

    Yes,England and Wales.

Northern Ireland? 

G.W.K

[gyzzzmo]

Age of concent is a culture thing, so we cant just say some age i think.. But in countries like holland (im dutch) we maybe should put the age to like 6 years old our younger (  ) to get our average age abit lower! :p

gyzzzmo

[zheer]

Age of concent is a culture thing, so we cant just say some age i think.. But in countries like holland (im dutch) we maybe should put the age to like 6 years old our younger (  ) to get our average age abit lower! :p

gyzzzmo

  I've been to Holland a number of times, it is really a nice place, the first thing to like about Holland is the AIR (it's fresh,CLEAN). I believe that that is due to the number of cyclists and your tram system, NO BUSES .  Seriously though the age of consent no lower than 16.
   yes you have a point on the culture thing,age of consent outside marrige in my culture is 34.

[prongated]

So what is an appropriate age of consent?

So the main concern = whether the person concerned is aware of what s/he is doing?

If so, I'd say it has to be sometime after they receive education on such matter. Probably include social 'consequences' and religious views on the matter if it's a religious school. Should be the same for homosexual relations.

[thalbergmad]

 NO BUSES . 

That would be my dream.

Thal

[wotgoplunk]

So the main concern = whether the person concerned is aware of what s/he is doing?

If so, I'd say it has to be sometime after they receive education on such matter. Probably include social 'consequences' and religious views on the matter if it's a religious school. Should be the same for homosexual relations.

That would mean age 12 (When sex. ed is finished) for children in the public school system.
Age 11 for those in the Catholic system.
And never for homosexuals. It's not taught.

[chopininov]

Can lesbians spread std's?

[danny elfboy]

Only in as much as it is supposed to protect younger people from pedo's. However, since here in jolly old England perverts often seem to get jobs as School Bus Drivers and Caretakers, our children would have no less protection if we had no age of consent at all.

I feel that is largely irrelevant, mostly unenforceable and generally ignored.

I agree
Molestation and rape are the same in adults or kids.
I mean stopping the harmful hysteria over young children experimenting and having fun doesn't mean making them less protected from rape and molestation, just like allowing women to vote and have black boyfriends (emancipating them indeed) didn't make them less protected from rape and molestation.

I actually think that the hysteria over normal sexual curiosity and feelings, instead of emancipation and educations, plays at the end of the rapers. On the other hand learning earlier about "contacts we want" and "contacts we don't want" and about "sexual rights"would make it easier for kids to protect themselves from predators and would make easier for them to report molesters and rapers.

The real problem is that the actual infantilizing hysteria completely denies "sexual rights" of minors, just ignoring this topic. And yet it's in my opinion ignoring the "sexual rights" of minors that make them predisposed to become victims of predators. Control and knowledge is the best protection, forced and unnatural ignorance is what makes us highly vulnerable.

Maybe parents, teachers and older people in general should have therapy to remember their childhood years and remember that neither television, magazines or porn movies were necessary to trigger normal sexual feelings. In my opinion is better to talk about sexual rights and the right of owning your own body and to teach that sex (physical intimacy) is inherently a beautiful thing and not just procreation but a way to share affection. I do believe that in that way minors would be way more protected and way less vulnerable while preventing the real trauma they're in danger of developing: the hysterical reaction of the adults at whatever sexual behavior and thought they have.

I believe that hysteria over sexuality and physical intimacy and repression cause real life-lasting traumas and hinders real protection from vulnerable situations.