Of all the stupid ideas the SNP Government has ever had, their idea of equalising the law to make 13-15 year old girls as well as boys criminally liable if they have consensual sex has to be up there with the worst. Stephen Glenn has already explained the dangers of this measure deterring girls from seeking proper advice and help, but I want to concentrate on the lunacy of getting us into this position.
We are now in the situation where we have two options: Holyrood either criminalises young girls as well as boys for having sex or it takes this measure out of the bill which could give the message that the Parliament condones underage sex.
The second option is clearly the sensible solution, but we should never have got into this mess. It's so typical of the Nats not to have thought things through. Thank goodness the Children's Commissioner has intervened in this. She too thinks it's ridiculous to drag these teenagers into the criminal system.
Of couse we need to reduce the number of teenage pregnancies, but this is not a job for the judicial system - it's for health and education to provide the information and support to both teenagers and their parents so that young lives are not harmed by pregnancy, sti or the emotional turmoil that too early sexual activity inevitably involves.
Yet another example of how the Nats cannot be trusted on the vital social issues we have to deal with.
If it's ridiculous for 13-15 year old girls to be treated as criminals for having consensual sex, is it not equally ridiculous for boys to be criminalised? Is there not a case for boys to be exempted as well? Of course, the downside of that is that you would then have an effective age of consent at 13.
ReplyDeleteI agree - that's why I said that it's not the judicial system that should be dealing with this.
ReplyDeleteI think the law needs to protect kids and everyone else from unwanted or forced approaches, but it's self respect, confidence and education that are needed to sort this out, not a children's panel.
Common sense prevails here, but certainly not in the U.S.!
ReplyDeleteMay I send my son to your country?
Just read my blog, you will understand.
Thanks for allowing me to comment!