Thesis: Raising the age of consent nationally to 18 years of age provides greater protection for our children.
Introduction: Fictional story regarding consensual sexual relations between a 15-year-old female and 19-year-old male with a problematic result.
I. Observing opposing viewpoint of individuals calling for lowering the age of consent.
A. Consensual sex occurs between young people, and the natural act causes them to violate the law eventually leading to punishment.
B. Age of consent laws are outdated.
C. Lowering the age of consent allows for greater focus on teaching safe sex.
II. Age of consent versus teen pregnancy figures.
A. Showing recent statistics regarding teen pregnancy.
B. Teens are unable to support children, which
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Teens are likely to transition through multiple partners causing a significant spread of disease.
C. Minors are less likely to test themselves for possible diseases, which may further the spread of disease.
D. These statistics show that teens fail to understand potential consequences of sex.
IV. 18-year old’s rights as recognized by the government.
A. Military and voting age requirements (18).
B. Commercial work week rights for new adults.
C. Legal age to purchase tobacco products.
D. There are potential issues relating to the above rights.
E. There are significantly greater issues related to sex.
V. Sexual predators and the age of consent (Tad Cummins Incident).
A. Tad Cummins exploited a position of trust.
B. While running from law enforcement he searched the age of consent.
C. Consensual sex between Mr. Cummins and Ms. Thomas leads to questions.
D. Should we lower the age of consent after reading the story?
E. Was Ms. Thomas aware of the likely consequences of their actions?
VI. Conclusion regarding the age of consent
A. There are certain issues with the current age of consent.
B. Further investigate issues these issues.
C. Lowering the age of consent would likely increase teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted
... is the direct effect of teens and young adults not being educated on the things that come with sex and the consequences of their actions. Teens need sex education because the knowledge will give them an insight on the subject and help them think about the proper precautions to take in order to be a responsible person insuring that they use the right contraception and/or abstinence in order for them not to have children as a teen. Other factors play into why teens become pregnant as well. In the results for my interviews, parent/child relationships should be established and upheld as a relationship that is strictly parent and child. Teens who do not have a true parent/parents in their lives to care about the important thing that contribute to the child’s well being such a becoming pregnant at a young age, tend to make decisions that are not healthy in their lives.
The median age difference between the female adolescent and the male offender was six years, Of all offenders of male statutory rape victims, 94% were female. Regardless of the victim’s gender, almost 3 out of every 5 victims of statutory rape were age 14 or 15, with relatively equal proportions in each of these ages. With this knowledge, their is still the assumption behind statutory rape laws is that if someone who has been in a relationship with said offender they are able to agree and it’s not considered rape,this can even happen when a 18 year old is with a 16 year old male or female one or both may be charged with Most children regardless of gender that are under the age of 16 or even 18 do not have the mature mental capacity to voluntarily consent to intercourse, when it comes to statutory rape the minor's consent to intercourse is irrelevant, even if he/she thinks they want to give
Today’s young Americans face strong peer pressure to be sexually active and engage themselves in risky behaviors (Merino 100-109). Anyone deciding to have sex must first think about all the risks involved. Kekla Magoon, author of Sex Education in Schools, says that “half of all teens aged 15 to 19 years old in the United States have had sex” (Magoon 64-65). It is currently not required by federal law for schools to teach Sex education and those few schools that do teach Sex education have the decision to determine how much information is allowed. Advocates from both sides of the Sex education debate agree that teens need positive influences in order to make practical decisions (Magoon 88-89). Opponents of Abstinence-only education believe it fails because it does not prepare teens for all the risks of sex (Magoon 64-65).
Drastic changes need to be made the nations current policies on sex education in schools. More information needs to be provided to the students, and their parents in order to effectively educate them both on the risks of underage sex and the importance of being thoroughly educated in a comprehensive Abstinence-Plus method. Politicians and law-markers need to stop arguing their point and open their eyes to the very real reality that more, and more teenagers are engaging in sexual activity. Young adults are going to learn about sex; the question is will we control when and how they receive the information or will we leave it up to them.
There are many topics nowadays that are still hard to talk about openly. Though we’ve opened the door on many controversies, some of the simplest parts of life can be the hardest to discuss. For most of us, sex in particular can be a taboo topic, which may be the reason why so many children and teens are misinformed on the inner workings of sexual relationships and how they develop as we grow and mature. For some adolescents, this can lead to an unhealthy fixation on the concept of sex, and in some cases, lead them to take action on a situation they do not fully understand. Sexual offenses are perceived as some of the most heinous crimes, but how could our views be affected if those acts were performed by a teenager? We may sometimes consider that they are the same as adult sex offenders; however our judgment can often be clouded by our lack of understanding. Adolescent sex offenders are different from adult sex offenders, are treated in a different way, and often have very different circumstances of their crime.
How does sex education affect teen pregnancy and the AIDs epidemic, and how is it tolerated in schools? For many years sex education in schools has been a controversial topic in the United States. Sex education in schools is highly debated because some think it encourages students to engage in sexual behaviors that can lead to a STD or teen pregnancy.The AIDs epidemic was one reason sex education became mandatory in many states. The younger the students receiving sex education the more effective it seemed to be. The deliberation about sex education in schools explains why it is still a controversial topic in America.
We already know that some minors are stupid enough, naive enough, or defiant enough to have sexual intercourse with another person. That is all you need to know to figure out if minors should or should not be able to use birth control, if they’re going do it anyways, they should be able to protect themselves for the future. Approximately 1 million adolescent teens become pregnant each year and 86% of STI’s (Sexually transmitted infection) happen between ages 15-29 years old, showing just how big of a social issue this is for Americans. A valid argue against is, if you don 't let them protect themselves, they won’t have sex at all, fearing the consequences. This essay will cover why it is imperative that it is legal for minors to use birth
There are far more males serving for statutory rape within prisons than females. There are hardly any females reported being charged with statutory rape or being sued for the same crime. The law does state that males and females have the same punishment for statutory rape (Christopher, 2012). However, in many cases young boys do not report the crime because they look at it as an act of becoming a man to have sexual relations with not only young girls but older women as well. There are several cases in which young boys are charged with the crime of statutory rape even when all parties are involved and gave their consent. For example in one case, a fourteen year old boy was charged with statutory rape for being involved in sexual activities with three girls who were younger than the boy, two of th...
The overall teen birth rate has declined by 16 percent from 1991 to 1997. “All states are recording a decline and it is the sixth year in a row that the teen birth rate has declined,” stated Donna Shalala, HHS secretary of U. S. Newswire. Although the birthrate among teens is decreasing and the percentage of teenagers who have had sexual intercourse is declining, it is a multi-fauceted problem affecting today’s youth. The government is taking in to consideration all possibilities and conditions with teen births to make an affective way to prevent it.
A report published by the U.S Department of Health and Human Accommodations “suggests that as many as 50% of all adolescents are sexually active” (White, 2008, p. 349). A portion of those are puerile women who will become pregnant, adolescent men who will contract a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and teenagers who will suffer from emotional distress and regret. Albeit the majority concurs inculcation is the solution to this dilemma, one q...
B. “Those who favor raising the driving age say that statistics show teenagers are more likely to get into accidents than adults. What they don't say is that statistics also show that men of all ages are 77 percent more likely to kill someone while driving than women. If people want to save lives by raising the driving age, then how about saving lives by allowing only women to drive? Except raising the driving age won't save lives. Studies show that it is inexperience, not age, that causes accidents. Raising the driving age will just create inexperienced, accident-prone drivers at 18 instead of 16. Teens need the ability to drive just as much as anyone else—to get to school, to get to work, to get to sports or band practice, or just to go out with their friends.” (teacher.scholastic.com)
"Statutory Rape Provision Violated Minor's Federal Constitutional Rights." Child Law Practice 30.6 00000 (2011): 82-83.Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
Kaplan, Margo. “Taking Pedophilia Seriously.” Washington & Lee Law Review, vol. 72, no. 1, 2015, pp. 75–170. Winter2015, EBSCOHost, web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=10&sid=db86a6e1-6532-405a-87b8-724a12314039@sessionmgr4010.
Aggleton shows teens the truth about sex instead of something seen as romantic and a risk, and they seeing themselves as people who are experimenting with new things. However, to others it is not a sign of romance but a risk that keeps haunting teenagers with AIDS and pregnancy. Even though young people are stereotyped as being more negative when it comes to the issue of sex, not all teenagers are that concerned with it. The author states more teenagers are looking at the outcome of having sex and thinking about the STD issue. Another issue is sex when it comes to parties and drugs. It seems that more and more girls are not getting the necessary understandings of the risks of sex, therefore having it at a younger age. While males are having sex for reasons just to try it out, or because they think they are cool. So the problem is teens are having sex for the wrong reasons without looking into the consequences.
B. as the teen pregnancy rate rises more adolescents contract sexually transmitted infections like HIV