Age of Consent... Higher or lower?

studiorat

The age of consent in Ireland is 17, with non-carnal contact being allowed at 15, regardless of sexual orientation and/or gender. I guess Carnal contact means penetrative sex. (????) (set in the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1935.)

Sex with a minor over the age of 15 carries a lower sentence than that for when the minor is below 15, although the punishments were raised in the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2006.

Homosexuality was decriminalised in 1993, following the ruling of the European Court in Norris vs. Ireland with the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993.

This same act places an age of 15 on acts of "gross indecency" between male homosexuals, but with no definition of what these are.

Considering the age of consent in other parts of Europe is as low as 14 in some cases. Do peeps here think it should be higher or lower?

Why should it be so?

Personally I think it should be lower.

turgon

I don't that there should be a blanket age of consent. I think in the current situation that a newly turned 17 year old having sex with his 16 year old girlfriend who is really own a month earlier is illegal?

So possibly a two year rule of something for those over 15/14.

This whole issue should be about the parents too. They should be the ones with final responsibility and who have to educate their children.

Joey the lips

Honestly - Higher cause fcekin 16 year olds look like 20 year olds these days so to lower it... Shudder I cannot as a parent contemplate the prospect.

Anyway... Better to loose it at the right time emotionally than the right time physically... me thinks!

Breaktown

I don't think changing the age of consent would make any difference. What is needed is better sex education in schools. When I was in school we had several talks about sex, but it was all "Don't ever do it - it's evil!", which doesn't really help at all.

Blue_Wolf

I think it should be changed in accordance with the age of "Legal Adult".

Stupid being able to have sex at the age of 17 but can't smoke/drink or vote for another year. That's saying your old enough to have sex but not old enough to do the others...

Baffles me really.

ChocolateSauce

There should be no blanket age of consent, although there should be a limit in age difference. Any problems should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Blue_Wolf

I disagree. Young people under the age of 16 shouldn't be having sex as there are health risks and consequences that even taught at school they won't even fully understand.
I see to many young ones going around pushing prams. This also affects the childs childhood and carries onto the next generation.

ChocolateSauce wrote: »

There should be no blanket age of consent, although there should be a limit in age difference. Any problems should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

studiorat

I'm wondering would dropping it to 13 or 14 force parents to deal with it?

the_syco

studiorat wrote: »

I'm wondering would dropping it to 13 or 14 force parents to deal with it?

Force them to deal with the pregnancy?

ChocolateSauce

Blue_Wolf wrote: »

I disagree. Young people under the age of 16 shouldn't be having sex as there are health risks and consequences that even taught at school they won't even fully understand.
I see to many young ones going around pushing prams. This also affects the childs childhood and carries onto the next generation.

I think it is unrealistic to think that some law is going to stop teenagers having sex. They'll do when they want because it's natural to start getting interested in sex at that age. The problem with a blanket age is that you'd be criminalising people who are very close in age in one was over the limit. I myself was once legally a statutory rapist because I was 17 and in a stable intimate relationship with a girl only one year younger than me. This can be dangerous because not all parents are sensible, and young people can be and sometimes are prosecuted by parents who are, frankly, nasty and ignorant.

It's also a mistake to think people that age are incapable of understanding sex. If they're properly educated, problems like teen pregnancy are much less prevalent. The majority of teen mothers are from disadvantaged backgrounds and usually badly educated.

studiorat

the_syco wrote: »

Force them to deal with the pregnancy?

Whatever...

They'll be dealing with it regardless of the age of consent in case you hadn't already noticed.

I think it would put more of an onus on parents to educate their children. Quiet a few would seem not to bother.

turgon

studiorat wrote: »

I think it would put more of an onus on parents to educate their children. Quiet a few would seem not to bother.

Absolutely.

It would be effectively transfering responsibility from the state to the parent. Also, at the moment the law just says "complete abstinence under 17 and whatever you want after that". Parents would be forced to introduce rules. Ok, you can have sex at 16 but you have to use condoms etc.

parker kent

ChocolateSauce wrote: »

I think it is unrealistic to think that some law is going to stop teenagers having sex. They'll do when they want because it's natural to start getting interested in sex at that age. The problem with a blanket age is that you'd be criminalising people who are very close in age in one was over the limit. I myself was once legally a statutory rapist because I was 17 and in a stable intimate relationship with a girl only one year younger than me. This can be dangerous because not all parents are sensible, and young people can be and sometimes are prosecuted by parents who are, frankly, nasty and ignorant.

It's also a mistake to think people that age are incapable of understanding sex. If they're properly educated, problems like teen pregnancy are much less prevalent. The majority of teen mothers are from disadvantaged backgrounds and usually badly educated.

I went to what is listed as a disadvantaged school and we had excellent sex education. Even in fifth and sixth class in Primary school we were given what was on reflection, excellent education. Throughout school in Biology, Home Economics and a special day on sex euducation, we were given all the knowledge in the world. I was able to take this in and didn't go knock up a class mate. But despite this, plenty of people in the same rooms as me all along either got pregnant or got somebody pregnant. Education will not stop it from happening. You have to hope that parents can give their children a good upbringing and that they make good, informed decisions as a result. I think that it all comes from the family home.

Joey the lips

I see the thread has deviated slightly. I dont think you will ever stop kids from having sex. Education wont stop it. Good parenting wont stop it. Peer pressure will contribute to it but ultimatly in the end i can only tell you my experience and that was this.

I went out with my oh year before we had sex we were very young when we start going out and we knew it was something we always wanted we were just afraid of 2 thing, one getting pregnant and two her father so I thinki you can just raise your kids the best you can and hope they return the favour by doing the same to theres.

As for the age of consent I am of no change of mind from before that the safest thing would be to do would be raise it. I also think that the insight of an earlier poster to say that there should be a +/- rule.

ie a 17 year old sleeping with a 15 year old should not be rape as equally a 21 year old and a 19 year old would not be but a 19 year old and a 15 year old is clearly wrong so there should be a +/- rule say

13/15
14/16
15/17
16/18
17/19
18 - 65

You get the gist. It is wrong to say that a 17 year old boy and 15 year old girl is necessarilary rape as the girl is prob more mature than the boy.

ChocolateSauce

parker kent wrote: »

I went to what is listed as a disadvantaged school and we had excellent sex education. Even in fifth and sixth class in Primary school we were given what was on reflection, excellent education. Throughout school in Biology, Home Economics and a special day on sex euducation, we were given all the knowledge in the world.

I'm glad to hear it.

I was able to take this in and didn't go knock up a class mate. But despite this, plenty of people in the same rooms as me all along either got pregnant or got somebody pregnant. Education will not stop it from happening. You have to hope that parents can give their children a good upbringing and that they make good, informed decisions as a result. I think that it all comes from the family home.

Yeah, a lot of it does come from home. The parents need to educate as well as the schools, and indeed I think parents should be the primary educators. Nothing will stop it from happening, we can only hope for reductions.

I hesitate saying this, but of all the people my age (22 in 3 days) I know who have been pregnant, not a one of them has been what I would call very smart or enlightened, and every single person who I would consider those things has never been pregnant.

studiorat

Joey the lips wrote: »

As for the age of consent I am of no change of mind from before that the safest thing would be to do would be raise it. I also think that the insight of an earlier poster to say that there should be a +/- rule.

Safe in what way? If the age is raised it just puts more stress on the state to enforce it. Though I suspect they hardly enforce it as it stands.

Anway, does anybody think it should be different for homosexual situations?

Greenmachine

Joey the lips wrote: »

I see the thread has deviated slightly. I dont think you will ever stop kids from having sex. Education wont stop it. Good parenting wont stop it. Peer pressure will contribute to it but ultimatly in the end i can only tell you my experience and that was this.

I went out with my oh year before we had sex we were very young when we start going out and we knew it was something we always wanted we were just afraid of 2 thing, one getting pregnant and two her father so I thinki you can just raise your kids the best you can and hope they return the favour by doing the same to theres.

As for the age of consent I am of no change of mind from before that the safest thing would be to do would be raise it. I also think that the insight of an earlier poster to say that there should be a +/- rule.

ie a 17 year old sleeping with a 15 year old should not be rape as equally a 21 year old and a 19 year old would not be but a 19 year old and a 15 year old is clearly wrong so there should be a +/- rule say

13/15
14/16
15/17
16/18
17/19
18 - 65

You get the gist. It is wrong to say that a 17 year old boy and 15 year old girl is necessarilary rape as the girl is prob more mature than the boy.

Clearly wrong if you think a closer in age limit of only 2 years should apply.