Age of consent

[coolface1572]

What should the age of consent be?

[PSOL]

Other then the application of Romeo and Juliet laws to not punish minors, the Age of Consent should be applied when the individuals in question are of proper mental development to understand the action, and the risks associated with it, they are doing. In my opinion, this happens just after puberty, or when the brain is most developed. I believe then that a more proper age of consent should be Dead set on 16 years of age, like it is in most of Europe.

[KoopaDaQuick 🇵🇸]

Image Source: Imgur

He's watching this thread.

[GM Team Member and Deputy PPT WB]

imo SC actually does things right in this regard. 16 overall, 14 if the other partner is 14-18.
17 and 18 are too high, but going lower than 16 is hazardous as well.

[Dr. MB]

16 but put in a 3 year allowed gap if you're under that.

[brucejoel99]

16 seems legit & is the number that most states in the U.S. have decided upon. You can reasonably assume (though there are obviously exceptions) that such a person is mentally capable of making an informed decision as to whether or not to have sex.

Of course, there will be people who are 'mentally mature' enough at younger or older ages, but when you're dealing with making a law for a large population, you can't make it ambiguous.

However, I also think it's a good idea to have "within 2 year" exceptions like Canada does so that teenagers aren't criminalized for having sex with each other. The intent of the laws should be to prevent predatory relationships of a gross age (& power) disparity.

[dead0man]

4 year grace window, but 18 should be the "age of consent with other adults"....meaning, you got to be at least 18 if you want to do it with someone older than 22.

[Middle-aged Europe]

I'm not really spending much time contemplating this, but so far I saw no reason to advocate a change in Germany's "age of consent" laws:

Age of consent is 14 with a corridor between 14 and 16 where legal guardians retain the option to file a criminal complaint against their kid's sexual partner provided that partner is over 21 and they're of the opinion that their kid gets exploited and/or hurt by that partner.

There are of course a couple of additional stipulations to that like paying a person under 18 for sex remains a felony in all instances.

[morgankingsley]

I lost my virginity at 14 and was just fine afterward, so I would be inclined to say that on first impression. But I know there is going to be that one person on here that is going to use what happened to me afterward as a sign that I wasn't ready. And there is going to be that one person who will bring up pedos and stuff. So I decided to think about it. With some thought on the matter (I literally spent like ten minutes on this screen thinking lol) I would say 16. I think 18 is way too high, but most would say 14 is way too low, so 16 is a middle ground, and they're going to do it anyways, and they are probably old enough to have some idea on what they are doing, and even if they regret it, they did consent at the time, so I would go with that.

[MarkD]

16 seems legit & is the number that most states in the U.S. have decided upon. You can reasonably assume (though there are obviously exceptions) that such a person is mentally capable of making an informed decision as to whether or not to have sex.

Of course, there will be people who are 'mentally mature' enough at younger or older ages, but when you're dealing with making a law for a large population, you can't make it ambiguous.

However, I also think it's a good idea to have "within 2 year" exceptions like Canada does so that teenagers aren't criminalized for having sex with each other. The intent of the laws should be to prevent predatory relationships of a gross age (& power) disparity.

I agree with all that.

[HisGrace]

16 as in most the developed world. Virtually everyone is going to be finished with puberty by then which is really what the standard should be. We should be arresting pedophiles who have sex with pre--pubescent children or middle school kids in the middle of puberty. Having sex with an older teenager might qualify as a poor life choice but you should not go to jail for it or get put on the sex offender registry like you're a rapist or pedophile.

[Technocracy Timmy]

Half plus seven rule for any and all sexual encounters including those over the age of 18.

[RINO Tom]

I thought Iowa’s law had it right ... 16 and a “Romeo and Juliet Clause” that protected, say, a 16-year old from getting in trouble for having sex with his 15-year old girlfriend in the same grade.  I want to say it was like a three year range.

[Mr. Morden]

Half plus seven rule for any and all sexual encounters including those over the age of 18.

A 48 year old and 30 year old should be illegal?

[Technocracy Timmy]

Half plus seven rule for any and all sexual encounters including those over the age of 18.

A 48 year old and 30 year old should be illegal?

I am fiercely anti-Macron.

[Santander]

Half plus seven rule for any and all sexual encounters including those over the age of 18.

You're ruining my life bro.

[Grassroots]

18 (Sane, moral)

[McNukes™ #NYCMMWasAHero]

21 (sane, up-to-date with hippest trends)

[atheist4thecause]

For the USA, I think 18 makes sense. I think sex should be discouraged in high school, and allowing the age of consent to be 16 or even younger takes the power out of the hands of parents and schools to do anything, yet the parents will be responsible for the kid if their minor child has a kid. Keep sex out of schools.

It's a little off-topic but related, but I think other issues should use high school age as a determining factor as well. Cigarettes already do, but alcohol should as well. I think it's insane not to allow adults in college to drink alcohol.

[Sirius_]

For the USA, I think 18 makes sense. I think sex should be discouraged in high school, and allowing the age of consent to be 16 or even younger takes the power out of the hands of parents and schools to do anything, yet the parents will be responsible for the kid if their minor child has a kid. Keep sex out of schools.

It's a little off-topic but related, but I think other issues should use high school age as a determining factor as well. Cigarettes already do, but alcohol should as well. I think it's insane not to allow adults in college to drink alcohol.

Teenagers having sex in school is entirely different from teenagers having sex, but ok. The vast majority of 16 year olds have natural sexual urges and you can’t just make it go away. You can’t ask people to do something they subconsciously, naturally want to do. It isn’t like drugs or something, it’s deeper than that. Sex is already discouraged by high schools in much of America and it only exacerbates the problem. It’s practically prohibition but worse. The solution is to make it safe, because you can’t make it go away.

[atheist4thecause]

For the USA, I think 18 makes sense. I think sex should be discouraged in high school, and allowing the age of consent to be 16 or even younger takes the power out of the hands of parents and schools to do anything, yet the parents will be responsible for the kid if their minor child has a kid. Keep sex out of schools.

It's a little off-topic but related, but I think other issues should use high school age as a determining factor as well. Cigarettes already do, but alcohol should as well. I think it's insane not to allow adults in college to drink alcohol.

Teenagers having sex in school is entirely different from teenagers having sex, but ok. The vast majority of 16 year olds have natural sexual urges and you can’t just make it go away. You can’t ask people to do something they subconsciously, naturally want to do. It isn’t like drugs or something, it’s deeper than that. Sex is already discouraged by high schools in much of America and it only exacerbates the problem. It’s practically prohibition but worse. The solution is to make it safe, because you can’t make it go away.

1) I wasn't speaking about literally in school, I was speaking about students having sex outside of school while going to high school.

2) The idea that we have to legalize sex to make it safe is a completely false narrative. We can easily keep sex illegal for high schoolers while passing out condoms no questions asked. Kids can also buy condoms. Parents can give their kids condoms. None of that would ever be illegal.

3) Legality of sex doesn't change how much sex there is by younger groups, it mostly changes what can be done about it. Parents have literally no recourse if a 16 year-old is having sex with a 30 year-old and it's legal. If it's illegal, a lot can be done. If a school finds out two minor students are having sex outside of school. They have no power. But guess who the responsibility falls on after the child gets pregnant? The parents.

[KoopaDaQuick 🇵🇸]

54

[AGA]

Should be interesting to hear from the yellow avatars on this...

[Nightcore Nationalist]

Should be interesting to hear from the yellow avatars on this...

[SensibleLeftist]

14-16, depending on the age gap between the two individuals.

For instance, I don't think an 18 year old should get in huge trouble for banging a 14 year old if it's fully consensual, but if a 30 year old is banging a 14 year old then yeah something has gone awry.

However, anyone of any age above 14 should be able to legally do the horizontal mambo with a 16 year old.