Statutory Rape Laws

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Good Intentions Lead to Nowhere The first statutory rape laws were originally established in England in 1275 to protect young ones from sexual violence from older predators. This original law set in England was set at the age of marriage, which at the time was 12. Anyone who was sexually involved with a person under the age of 12 was to be criminalized, whether there was consent from both parties or not (Robertson). Statutory rape laws are often referred to as age of consent laws. As the nick name would suggest, age of consent laws dictate at what age an individual is legally old enough to consent to sexual actions. These laws, which vary from state to state and country to country, establish at what age the government deems an individual …show more content…

The fact that the actual age of consent varies all over the world from age 13-18 is evidence to prove that there are many different opinions in regards to when an individual is considered mature. Statutory rape laws have slowly been morphed into laws that are being used as an attempt to stop unwanted consequences from teen sex. This is where many opposing views arise. Statutory rape laws are being abused by wrongly convicting teens engaging in consensual sex as an attempt to help prevent the unwanted consequences of teen sex.
When considering what the age of consent should be, there are many who look to other laws that have age limitations. Kelsey Watchman, a high school student from Canada that was runner-up in the 2009 Glessen High School Ethics Essay Competition, outlines her stance on the age of consent in her essay titled “YES: This is not simply a moral issue.” Her beliefs are based off the notion that society is responsible for the protection of the youth, particularly from themselves. Watchman believes that laws can help protect the youth as a society. She points out that there is a regulated age for actions such as …show more content…

In the beginning of his article, Jarvis lays out facts that shows his audience the rate of pregnancies, abortions, and cases of STDs in minors. Jarvis uses statistics to support his argument that a higher age of consent would help protect the youth from making poor decisions that lead to unwanted consequences. To prevent these unwanted results from teen sex, Jarvis proposes that the age of consent be raised to match the age of marriage. Jarvis states “Minors are simply too young to consent knowledgeably to sex and its potential pitfalls” (1). Jarvis believes that at young ages minors are not able to easily deny older manipulative adults. He feels that if the age of consent were raised to match the age of marriage then individuals would have smaller chances of having unwanted pregnancies, STDs, and abortions. Just as Watchman mentions in her essay, Jarvis also mentions how those who are 18 years of age or older are legally able to smoke, purchase lottery tickets, and get tattoos. The government has made a link to the age 18 that suggests individuals are mature enough at this age to make important decisions regarding their

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