I wrote about the tricky Age of Consent laws nearly three years ago. But (not-so-surprisingly) very few people wanted to get involved with the topic.
I think that’s a mistake. Because the issue of adult-child “relationships” is going to come up again and again in the future. It has the potential to divide traditional, religious Conservatives from the secular, “alternative” ones.
This was apparent just yesterday, when popular bloggers Milo Yiannoupolous and Matt Walsh engaged in a heated social media debate. You can read about the Milo/Matt situation on one of Matt’s Facebook posts.
Anyway, here’s what I wrote back in 2014:
I’ve been binge-watching House M.D. on Netflix for several weeks now. But, the following scene struck me enough to stop the furious pace and transcribe the conversation. It fits perfectly in a blog discussing cultural differences…
A 17-year-old girl has been stalking Dr. House, very overtly trying to seduce him. Close friends warn him to keep his distance–which he more or less tries to do. But the girl is insistent. Finally, she corners him in a parking garage.
Girl: “In Iceland the age of consent is 14.”
House: “I’m surprised that tourism isn’t a bigger industry up there.”
Girl: “So today I’m jailbait. But in 22 weeks anybody can do anything to me. Will I be so different in 22 weeks?”
House: “22-weeks is enough for a fetus to grow arms and legs.”
Girl: “It’s just a line. An arbitrary line drawn by a bunch of sad old men in…
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Cultures at War 
If a person thinks they are old enough to go have sax with someone, then they should also be thinking that they are old enough to have baby, get a job to support that baby (and family), not go around having sex with other people, have plans for their family’s future (realizing the future of their new child is more important than their own now, and that they are supposed to work to help them progress in life).
But instead, sex is something that is just fun to do now. A baby is something that I want to keep or not (kind of like a new iPhone). And my own future is the only one that matters.
Yesterday, I saw an ad for birth control, and how it is all about women being strong, and not being held back by the child they didn’t want. One of the women was holding her child and said, “Now I have the ability to make the right choice.” She then looks at her child and they both smile. All I can say is, I feel sorry for the other child she just happened to not want in her life. (And I would tell the surviving kid to watch her back. Mommy might not want you later in life.)
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This wouldn’t be the problem it is if we hadn’t separated sex from marriage. As far as the “age of consent,” I do think there is a social norm component to it. If your society thinks of people under 18 as children, parents in general raise their children with different expectations on their judgment and responsibilities than a society that sees 13 year olds as adults. Just looking back at America 100 years ago, there’s a big difference in the maturity levels of a 13 year old then and a 13 year old now. My own mother got married at 17 to my father who is almost 7 years her senior. Her parents had to give their consent that she could marry since she was still seen as a minor under the law. So clearly I don’t personally believe 18 is a hard and fast rule. But I also believe that sex is only moral in the marriage relationship the way God designed it (i.e., between a man and a woman), so not many people in society will care for what I have to say on the matter. Not that that’s ever stopped me from saying something I believe. 😊
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I totally agree with your assessment about sex being contained to marriage.
In my opinion, this kerfuffle about the Age of Consent is only a problem for those who believe “science” and “common sense” dictate all of their beliefs, and who believe it’s possible to separate religion from law.
For many, many secular Atheists, the idea of sex between adults and teens who are barely out of puberty is JUST WRONG… but they are relying on their God-given consciences more than “science.”
Ethics is always a religious question. Which is hard for anti-religion people to admit. 🙂
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It must be difficult for them to go through life with no foundation to base their beliefs on. Honestly, materialism just sounds exhausting.
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