4 ms·
So everything these days is a spectrum, except age of consent, which starts at 18 and not at 17 and 364 days, why?
by Kaiyou 7y ago
So everything these days is a spectrum, except age of consent, which starts at 18 and not at 17 and 364 days, why?
- jcranmer 7y agoMost rape laws do recognize a spectrum: in the teens, it is generally not rape if the two people are close enough in age.
- belorn 7y agoThat is relevant but does nothing to explain why say Sweden put the line at 16 while the US has it at 18. It also happens to be the exact opposite for driving a car, ie the age requirement is 18 while in the US it is 16. Personally I find the age when the brain is fully developed to carry a bit more significance, ie around age 25. Before that the brain is still being assembled and yet we expect people to make life or death decisions while driving, serving the military, have correct impulse control and follow the law just as everyone else.
- 9HZZRfNlpR 7y agoThere are European countries where it's 14 too!
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- throw0101a 7y agoBecause that's what the law says. You can't vote at 17 years and 364 days either. (Or drive at 15 years and 364 days.) What would a "spectrum of consent" even look like? 'First base' at one age, second at another, etc.? * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_metaphors_for_sex https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_metaphors_for_sex
- chrisdhoover 7y agoIt would look like romeo and juliet laws that allow consent between two teens close in age.
- Kaiyou 7y ago..but Romeo was over 18 and Juliet was like 13. That's statutory rape!
- Kaiyou 7y agoIt's the letter of the law and that's why the above quoted position (or see below) is indefensible? RMS: "I think that everyone age 14 or above ought to take part in sex, though not indiscriminately. (Some people are ready earlier.)” Just because it's the letter of the law doesn't mean we are forbidden from discussing changing it.
- soulofmischief 7y agoThe law used also used to say it was illegal for gay people to marry and black people had to use separate bathrooms. That black people are worth 3/5 of a normal person. So don't even start with that "but it's the law!" drivel, we are talking about morality here.