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Originally Posted by Emerald Aeris
Dictionary says wisdom is "accumulated knowledge or erudition or enlightenment", and I'd agree. Knowing without related experience is common sense, and my common sense says that young people routinely and repeatedly make poor decision regarding sex and relationships.
Dictionary's wrong. :tongue:
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If your brain is still developing it does. I definitely notice a difference between the mental capacity of most 15 year olds and most 20 year olds. But I do see your point.
Mmm, I honestly don't see that much difference between teenagers and adults. It's not that teenagers are mature, it's that adults very often aren't. But that's personal opinion, which isn't that great a basis for laws.
"How many statutory rape charges are brought against people who sleep with 17 year olds? Or 16 year olds? Until you drop below that, I'm not aware that it's common unless the younger person's family takes massive offense, or unless the older person has done something else which there isn't enough evidence for."
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Why does that matter? Laws are there for protection. That's like saying "it's not common for people to rape 80 year olds, so let's repeal the law". 16 year olds DO get taken advantage of.
But when 80 year olds get raped, and it gets found out, there is a massive outcry about it. Nobody, at least nobody I know of, makes a big fuss if a 16 year old sleeps with someone a couple of years older. 16 year olds get taken advantage of, but not by other 16 year olds (And even if they do it's moot because I don't know of ANY cases in recent times where two people under the AoC who are the same age have been brought up for it.). That is why I support having shifting limits, because I see a difference between a 16 and 18 year old, and a 16 and 40 year old.
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So if the law isn't in place to protect people from themselves, then I'm going to have sex with a 4 year old, because they said yes.
They'd be being protected from you, not themselves. Again, that's why I suggest different limits for different ages :p
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Hmm. 17 is more reasonable, but I would draw the line there. I should clarify, that I don't think that means that we should run around arresting any 16 year olds getting nookie. As I said, the law is there to protect people who might be taken advantage of. If two 15 year olds both consent, there why would the law be contacted? But if an 18 year old, most of which are ready for sex LONG before 15 year olds, coerces a 15 year old into bed, that's not right. It happens. I know many it's happened to. Younger kids (girls especially) tend to idolize older people and are more liable to be pressured into doing things they don't actually want to do. That's how pedophiles get kids to do things with them. I'm not saying the 18 year old is necessarily a pedophile, but they (could! I'm saying IF they coerce them here, to clarify) are still taking advantage of someone who's not ready. Do you see what I mean?
I think you are being a little stricter than I would be in the differences between people in their mid to late teens, but in principle I agree with what you're saying there.
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I believe widely available information leads to fewer pregnancies. I dunno what you mean by "liberal attitudes". I'd like to think I am pretty liberal. I fully believe in sex ed starting in grade school.
By liberal attitudes I don't mean anything political, I just mean being open-minded and not demonising sex. Incidentally, I think a fair amount of the harm sex causes is because people do see it as such a big deal. Biologically it is, but socially it doesn't have to be. We don't make a big deal out of breathing, and that's even more essential. So if we lighten up, accept the inevitable, and don't act like totally normal things are horribly harmful, they won't be horribly harmful.
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I was on the pill years before I was sexually active. Your point is moot.
I don't see what you're saying there. My point was that it's fair to presume STD rates are lower among teens in countries with lower teen pregnancy rates, on the basis that those lower pregnancies are either due to more protection being used, or less sex occuring. As a provisor to the first possibility, I made it clear I was aware of baby prevention methods which wouldn't prevent STD spread.
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"The purely educational side of it appears to be quite alright with lowering the age."
Uh, what?
... I have no idea. Ignore that. xD
You've got some spiffy sex ed if it teaches you how to deal with relationship issues. Mine, and that of many people I know, was "This is how babies are made and this is how you stop it. *Teacher puts a condom on a dildo*" In essence, it taught you the mechanics. Certainly nothing about dealing with a relationship.
