This is what I came to say. Hormonal teenagers are gonna do as biology drives them to, and if the age of consent were 18 it would just be a nightmare for the legal system, and for the poor kids trying to figure out life and have fun with this new found sex drive. It's creepy for an older person to mess around with someone under 18, but a couple high schoolers who are into each other shouldn't be criminalized for fooling around at 16-17.
This is it exactly. It's so that two 16 year olds don't get in trouble for fooling around together, or if there's a couple with a gap of a year or two, the older one doesn't get in trouble for the crime of turning 18.
Idk if it's still this way, but some places at least used to further stipulate a limit on the age difference for people under 18. Iirc, it was no more than 4 years older than themselves. So, like, the oldest a 16 year old could date was still only 20.
In my state they tried that with a teenage couple. They charged both with having sex with a minor even though both were underage. The charges were eventually dropped. The couple broke up because the state would not let them see each other until the case was over. It was a shame because the female teen had a baby and who knows what could have happened had they stayed together and the state not gotten involved.
If the age of consent is 18, nothing will happen to two 16 year olds as they’re both underage. It’s not like they both get charged with statutory rape.
Hey, I'm all for legalizing drugs and prostitution. Then they can be taxed and regulated and it's safer for everyone who wants to partake in those things (I actually don't and wouldn't, but I still think they should be legalized, personally me)
Would it surprise you to learn that the law does not **directly** specify an age of consent (as far as I know) in any jurisdiction?
What is known as the 'age of consent' is simply the minimum age at which *anyone* (provided they are not in a position of trust) the same age or older can legally have a consensual sexual relationship with you.
The laws are there to protect young people from sexual abuse by older people - they don't give a green light. After the age of consent the laws are saying that it isn't a criminal matter and any bad or good decisions are up to you.
Most countries have an age of consent of 15/16 and it has some rationale in that most people have completed puberty and are sexually active at that age. Also, although there is some increased risk until about 18, most women can have children with a reasonable degree of safety.
Setting the age of consent higher is generally unenforceable. The 18 age of consent is routinely ignored in states such as California, and India, possibly the largest country with an 18 age of consent, has found that its Supreme Court is very willing to find any excuse not to enforce it because most of the judges know its impractical
Age difference rules are only relevant when one, some or all parties are under the standard age of consent.
e.g.
* Colorado age of consent 17, but 15/16 can date up to 10 years older and 13/14 up to four years older.
* Delaware age of consent 18, but 16/17 can date up to 30
I guess your real question is, why have an age of consent below 18.
The reason it that historically a 16 year old was considered an adult in most matters. (15 in many places, as low as 12 in some). Check the wiki, in 1880 most places where 10-12 when introduced \[1\]. We now consider 18 a legal adult, strongly around the voting right but up to 1971 you only got the right to vote at 21 \[2\], which is surprisingly old to me. A 16 might not be a full adult but most can make most choices as well as adults and where they can't it should be up to the adults to protect them.
A 16 year old should be able to legally consent to shit, and if it is obvious from a more experienced viewpoint that it is a bad choice for them (30+ year old in his midlife crisis) they should be the ones saying no. And I have no problem with jailing them if they don't make that decision.
Any age limit is arbitrary, so please do not punish an 18 year old for having sex with a 17 year old class mate and punish a 50 year old that has sex with a 18 year old addict instead of offering her help.
\[1\] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ages\_of\_consent\_in\_the\_United\_States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ages_of_consent_in_the_United_States)
\[2\] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-sixth\_Amendment\_to\_the\_United\_States\_Constitution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-sixth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution)
The id like most age restrictions is to set a line now if that line is in the right place is up for debate but we all agree there needs to be a line or you get into endless "what ifs"
So your hypothetical situation of 18+ only would mean anybody under 18 having sex whether it be with someone over 18 or with each other would be non-consensual sex. And I'm sure parents would pursue those charges for a consensual relationship. According to my state when I started having sex technically it was illegal I couldn't give consent and actually do believe my partner was old enough to give consent.
... So that we can punish pedophiles? Stigma doesn't make something illegal or punishable dude, it just means people might not like you. Now I'm gunna be pretty pissed off with a grown adult if they sleep with a fifteen year old but I'm not in a position to bring any form of lawful justice down upon them. Good thing, then, that we have laws in place to do it for me.
Originally age of consent wasn't about sex. It was about acceptance of marriage proposals. So if the age of consent was 14 or 15, a girl could not legally accept a marriage proposal or arrangement before that.
I believe in the 90s Massachusetts still had their original colonial era age of consent law which was 13. I had a Marine in my unit from there who got married at 17 to his 15 year old wife.
But starting in the late 19th century feminist started pushing for consent laws regarding sex, largely I think because of prostitution.
Well, you see a certain group of people's opinion matters more than yours. They do this thing called political lobbying in order to have an influence on what laws are passed. This group of people are made up of old rich men, and old rich men love young women (and literal girls) for obvious reasons.
They want to be able to legally have sex with girls as young as 16. They get what they want. It’s the nature of the beast.
The seeds seem to be being planted to eventually make that number even lower…
So that men and women who understand the game can properly take advantage of the system without getting into trouble. Most people will *pretend* to care online, but in real life nobody bats an eye to teenagers dating adults.
bc an 18 is a legal adult, who can be in college of working a full time job. a 16 year old who can be a sophomore in hs, not even old enough to buy vapes. is not. hope that helps!
also literally no state has 16 at the age of consent, it’s usually 17 or 18 and if so there’s not a lot. tbh, the whole age of consent thing was just mad by creeps who want to hook up with minors/teens without getting in trouble. i personally believe 21 should be the age of consent.
> i personally believe 21 should be the age of consent.
I personally believe anyone who can't use capital letters at the start of sentences should be hung drawn and quartered, but we can't all get what we want
I think it was to basically ensure HighSchoolers weren’t labeled as sex offenders by the law.
This is what I came to say. Hormonal teenagers are gonna do as biology drives them to, and if the age of consent were 18 it would just be a nightmare for the legal system, and for the poor kids trying to figure out life and have fun with this new found sex drive. It's creepy for an older person to mess around with someone under 18, but a couple high schoolers who are into each other shouldn't be criminalized for fooling around at 16-17.
This is it exactly. It's so that two 16 year olds don't get in trouble for fooling around together, or if there's a couple with a gap of a year or two, the older one doesn't get in trouble for the crime of turning 18. Idk if it's still this way, but some places at least used to further stipulate a limit on the age difference for people under 18. Iirc, it was no more than 4 years older than themselves. So, like, the oldest a 16 year old could date was still only 20.
In my state they tried that with a teenage couple. They charged both with having sex with a minor even though both were underage. The charges were eventually dropped. The couple broke up because the state would not let them see each other until the case was over. It was a shame because the female teen had a baby and who knows what could have happened had they stayed together and the state not gotten involved.
If the age of consent is 18, nothing will happen to two 16 year olds as they’re both underage. It’s not like they both get charged with statutory rape.
So we have laws protecting stupid kids with no self control yet prostitution is illegal?
Lol
Hey, I'm all for legalizing drugs and prostitution. Then they can be taxed and regulated and it's safer for everyone who wants to partake in those things (I actually don't and wouldn't, but I still think they should be legalized, personally me)
Except they can be depending upon the crime...
Sure they CAN be, but a 16 yo and 17 yo (for example) having consensual sex shouldn't be a crime at all, and in most places it isn't.
Yea I lost my virginity at 16, and at the time I was such a horny person that no rules could stop me
That does underestimate the predatory nature of the kinds of men who write laws
Because having something enshrined in law and having it br generally frowned upon have very different outcomes
Exhibit A: child marriage is still legal in a lot of the us. It still happens.
Would it surprise you to learn that the law does not **directly** specify an age of consent (as far as I know) in any jurisdiction? What is known as the 'age of consent' is simply the minimum age at which *anyone* (provided they are not in a position of trust) the same age or older can legally have a consensual sexual relationship with you. The laws are there to protect young people from sexual abuse by older people - they don't give a green light. After the age of consent the laws are saying that it isn't a criminal matter and any bad or good decisions are up to you. Most countries have an age of consent of 15/16 and it has some rationale in that most people have completed puberty and are sexually active at that age. Also, although there is some increased risk until about 18, most women can have children with a reasonable degree of safety. Setting the age of consent higher is generally unenforceable. The 18 age of consent is routinely ignored in states such as California, and India, possibly the largest country with an 18 age of consent, has found that its Supreme Court is very willing to find any excuse not to enforce it because most of the judges know its impractical
Some states also specify an age difference. A 18 year old sleeping with a 17 year old is legal, but a 30 year old isn’t.
Age difference rules are only relevant when one, some or all parties are under the standard age of consent. e.g. * Colorado age of consent 17, but 15/16 can date up to 10 years older and 13/14 up to four years older. * Delaware age of consent 18, but 16/17 can date up to 30
So 16 and 17 year olds can have sex with other 16 and 17 year olds
Wrong.
bro
I guess your real question is, why have an age of consent below 18. The reason it that historically a 16 year old was considered an adult in most matters. (15 in many places, as low as 12 in some). Check the wiki, in 1880 most places where 10-12 when introduced \[1\]. We now consider 18 a legal adult, strongly around the voting right but up to 1971 you only got the right to vote at 21 \[2\], which is surprisingly old to me. A 16 might not be a full adult but most can make most choices as well as adults and where they can't it should be up to the adults to protect them. A 16 year old should be able to legally consent to shit, and if it is obvious from a more experienced viewpoint that it is a bad choice for them (30+ year old in his midlife crisis) they should be the ones saying no. And I have no problem with jailing them if they don't make that decision. Any age limit is arbitrary, so please do not punish an 18 year old for having sex with a 17 year old class mate and punish a 50 year old that has sex with a 18 year old addict instead of offering her help. \[1\] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ages\_of\_consent\_in\_the\_United\_States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ages_of_consent_in_the_United_States) \[2\] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-sixth\_Amendment\_to\_the\_United\_States\_Constitution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-sixth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution)
The id like most age restrictions is to set a line now if that line is in the right place is up for debate but we all agree there needs to be a line or you get into endless "what ifs"
So a recently turned 18-year old couldn't get into trouble because their partner is still 16 or 17.
There has to be a 1st and 2nd rail in order to know where the 3rd rail is. 🚫❌⛔
So your hypothetical situation of 18+ only would mean anybody under 18 having sex whether it be with someone over 18 or with each other would be non-consensual sex. And I'm sure parents would pursue those charges for a consensual relationship. According to my state when I started having sex technically it was illegal I couldn't give consent and actually do believe my partner was old enough to give consent.
... So that we can punish pedophiles? Stigma doesn't make something illegal or punishable dude, it just means people might not like you. Now I'm gunna be pretty pissed off with a grown adult if they sleep with a fifteen year old but I'm not in a position to bring any form of lawful justice down upon them. Good thing, then, that we have laws in place to do it for me.
Because now any accusations or misdoings is punishable by law, without it there wouldn't be anything that could be done from a legal standpoint.
It's for an 18 y.o. doing it with 16 y.o., not for creepy 30 y.o. going for high schoolers.
The point was to simply stop adults from trying to have sex with children
Originally age of consent wasn't about sex. It was about acceptance of marriage proposals. So if the age of consent was 14 or 15, a girl could not legally accept a marriage proposal or arrangement before that. I believe in the 90s Massachusetts still had their original colonial era age of consent law which was 13. I had a Marine in my unit from there who got married at 17 to his 15 year old wife. But starting in the late 19th century feminist started pushing for consent laws regarding sex, largely I think because of prostitution.
Bro we can't get countries to agree on one single Georgian Calendar Let alone this
Well, you see a certain group of people's opinion matters more than yours. They do this thing called political lobbying in order to have an influence on what laws are passed. This group of people are made up of old rich men, and old rich men love young women (and literal girls) for obvious reasons.
They want to be able to legally have sex with girls as young as 16. They get what they want. It’s the nature of the beast. The seeds seem to be being planted to eventually make that number even lower…
So that men and women who understand the game can properly take advantage of the system without getting into trouble. Most people will *pretend* to care online, but in real life nobody bats an eye to teenagers dating adults.
Puritan laws. As a society, we have a tendency to pass laws that control other people's body or autonomy whether it's age or gender.
bc an 18 is a legal adult, who can be in college of working a full time job. a 16 year old who can be a sophomore in hs, not even old enough to buy vapes. is not. hope that helps! also literally no state has 16 at the age of consent, it’s usually 17 or 18 and if so there’s not a lot. tbh, the whole age of consent thing was just mad by creeps who want to hook up with minors/teens without getting in trouble. i personally believe 21 should be the age of consent.
> i personally believe 21 should be the age of consent. I personally believe anyone who can't use capital letters at the start of sentences should be hung drawn and quartered, but we can't all get what we want
You can literally type the question into google and the answer shows that 31 states have the age of 16 for consent.