Debate in UCC on Age of Consent

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“That This House Would Lower the Age of Consent”

Room: Kane, G.01
THURSDAY December 7th

This week, the Law Society at University College Cork is proud to host what will undoubtedly be of immense interest to all citizens – students, parents, teenagers, legislators and lawyers alike. Following the publication of the report of a Joint-Oireachtas committee last week on the whole area, the society will this week propose the motion that we would lower the age of consent.


Proposition
Deputy Peter Power,
Chairman, Joint Oireachtas Committee on Child Protection
Mr Kieran Walsh,
Barrister-at-Law and Lecturer-in-Law at DCU and DIT

Opposition
Mr Colm O Gorman
Founder, One-In-Four, Sexual Abuse Victims Group
Rape Crisis Network Ireland
To be Confirmed

Background
The age-old question of what should be the legal age of consent never fails to cause a stir when mentioned. Indeed, in recent weeks, the question on everyone’s lips has been what is the appropriate age at which one should be legally entitled to have sex. Every person has their opinions, often based on moral grounding, yet it is remarkable how so few people tend to agree on a specific age.

--CC Case
Earlier this year, the CC case was a catalyst for a surge in public interest, and indeed outrage, at the whole issue. The government received immense slating in the media and from the general public on what was perceived the most pressing legal question in
many years.

Following the case, a joint-Oireachtas committee on Child Protection was set up, under the chairmanship of Limerick TD, Deputy Peter Power. The purpose of the committee was to examine the current legislative protections for children within our statute books and come up with recommendations as to where we, as a society, and more predominantly the government should venture when it comes to protecting our youth.

The committee heard submissions from hundreds of interested parties, while its composition included some of the most respected politicians in our lands, including – for the first time in the history of the state – a Minister (Michael McDowell, Min for Justice).

--Committee Report
Last Thursday, Nov 30th, the long-awaited report of the committee was published. It drew much praise from many quarters, while some quarters believed it did not go far enough in proposing much-needed reform in the area. Meanwhile, some critics cited the proposal to remove the defence of honest-mistake as unenforceable on a judiciable level. In contrast, the committee cites the report as proposing the ‘strongest child protection regime in Europe’.

-- Age of Consent??
One of the most popular/unpopular (depending on your stance on the matter) is the proposed lowering of the Age of Consent from 17 to 16. According to the proposal’s most vocalised opponents, the Rape Crisis Network Ireland, both of the stated reasons are ‘ill thought-out’, and calls on the committee to “…rescind their support for this flawed and ill-conceived proposal.”

Deputy Power cited two principal reasons for the lowering of the age – firstly, most young people did not know what the age of consent was anyway and furthermore, the setting of the age to 16 more closely confirms to ‘reality’.

--Self-Examining

For those attending the debate or just interested in the general discussion, it may be worth posing the following questions to oneself:

>What age did you feel you were ready to have sex? In hindsight, were you ready emotionally?

>If your child is 16 years of age and feels that he/she is ready to have sex with their boyfriend/girlfriend – would you feel comfortable with it? Would you be supportive?

>Will the lowering of the age of consent today, led to a further lowering in years to come? Will we have started a public-strain of thought that one will not be able to
change?

>Is there anything really wrong with leaving the age of consent at 17? It seems unenforceable anyway – unlike the legal age for purchasing cigarettes and alcohol, no Garda will intercede and stop you from having sex.

>Is one mature enough to have a sexual relationship with someone, when they are still in the mid-teens?

>How would the lowering of the age of consent alter the perception of sex by young people? How effect could a change in legal-age affect teen pregnancies and the spread of STIs?

>If there is a problem; then perhaps it could/should be sorted out in the classroom, instead of the chambers of Leinster House. Is sex-ed inadequate and ill-equipping the youth of today with poor understanding of sexual-disease transmission and the need to be mature before consenting to have sexual relations?

>Is Rome right? Perhaps we should scrap sex altogether before marriage?!!

>Is it merely a case of no one cares, so why don’t we just get rid of it altogether?!

** ** ** ** **
HAVE YOUR SAY AND HEAR THE EXPERTS:

Room: Kane, G.01
THURSDAY December 7th

Orizio

What time?

I would like to go to these debates but usually I'm finished with classes by 1 o'clock.