Child Act 'pushes promiscuity'

What I don't get is this argument... it is ok for two children at age 14 to have sex with each other, but it is not ok for a 14 and 24 year old to have sex together. Why?

And if the argument is because the one would not be ready for sex given the age differences, why is it ok then if they are both under a certain age and is that not then a double standard?


Doh.. more fuel on the fire...


Never mind... I see others have started this debate :D
 
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Syndyre said:
By society's standards I suppose, currently anyway. I'd say its wrong because the child is too young to make an informed decision when approached by an adult and therefore risks exploitation etc.
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Aha... so the child is too young to make an informed decision when approached by and adult, but old enough when approached by another child? Double standards much?
 
Eniigma said:
Aha... so the child is too young to make an informed decision when approached by and adult, but old enough when approached by another child? Double standards much?
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I recognise its a double standard to an extent but its probably an unavoidable one. If they're both children what are you going to do, prosecute them both?
 
Syndyre said:
By society's standards I suppose, currently anyway. I'd say its wrong because the child is too young to make an informed decision when approached by an adult and therefore risks exploitation etc.
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Society? Who's society? If you live in a "society" that say's it's OK to do certain things (e.g. Mafia) does it make it right (since your society disagrees with other's society)? Take pitcairn for one - their society said it was OK to have sex with young girls.
 
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Syndyre said:
I recognise its a double standard to an extent but its probably an unavoidable one. If they're both children what are you going to do, prosecute them both?
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Prosecute? Lets go back to basics of prevention... laying down the guidelines for one!
Whos says kids don't need guidlines by caring folk who can make informed decisions? I think we are agreeing on something finally?
 
Eniigma said:
Aha... so the child is too young to make an informed decision when approached by and adult, but old enough when approached by another child? Double standards much?
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It's a recognition of the fact that two teenagers are likely to be on more equal footing. It is however still arbitrary because it assumes all teenagers are incapable of interacting with an adult and that all adults are out to exploit allegedly vulnerable teenagers.
 
groundnut said:
Aah... so in light of this debate about what age kids have sex...
Would you say it is immoral for a 12 year old to engage in consentual sex with a 25 year old?

What about consentual death? If someone asks another person to kill them, since it is "consentual", is it morally acceptable?
Since when is right and wrong only relative to how it affects the next person?
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If the 25yos intention is just to get his/her rocks off and manipulates the 12yo to achieve this and the 25yo has foresight that anything that happens will damage the 12yo, yes it would be immoral. If there is genuine love and caring, and sexual activites happens in that light and the 25yo if firmly in the beleive that it wont cause damage, its not immoral. But it is a inadvisable situation to be in and extreme pondering woudl need to occur before there is any "action".

No problem with consensual death, aka euthenasia for incurable medical condition where person is physically unable to commit suicide themselves. Otherwise the person must commit suicide themselves, immoral to put that burden on someone else if you can kill yourself for whatever reason.
 
groundnut said:
Society? Who's society? If you live in a "society" that say's it's OK to do certain things (e.g. Mafia) does it make it right (since your society disagrees with other's society)? Take pitcairn for one - their society said it was OK to have sex with young girls.
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That's the crux of the problem. Whichever way you look at it though all morality is ultimately defined by society, whether it be secular or religious-based.
 
groundnut said:
Prosecute? Lets go back to basics of prevention... laying down the guidelines for one!
Whos says kids don't need guidlines by caring folk who can make informed decisions? I think we are agreeing on something finally?
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They definitely do need guidelines, and I'd say those guidelines should rather be set by the parents than by the state as they way they can be more individually suited to the people in question as obviously everybody's different. Of course there's no guarantee the guidelines will be followed.
 
supersunbird said:
If there is genuine love and caring, and sexual activites happens in that light and the 25yo if firmly in the beleive that it wont cause damage, its not immoral. But it is a inadvisable situation to be in and extreme pondering woudl need to occur before there is any "action".
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How would you prove love and caring in a relationship where the 25yo says there is love and the 12yo doesn't know better?

No problem with consensual death, aka euthenasia for incurable medical condition where person is physically unable to commit suicide themselves. Otherwise the person must commit suicide themselves, immoral to put that burden on someone else if you can kill yourself for whatever reason.
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What about the responsibility towards the suicidal person to prevent suicide? What about someone talking someone into comitting suicide? Suicidal folk are not normally thinking straight or are depressed or have a mental illness of sorts. This opens up alot of dangerous areas for crime and the law.
 
Eniigma said:
Yeah right, like the kippy working at the counter in Spar is going to provide good advice when this 13 year old kid goes in to buy some condoms.
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You must have missed the fact that they could already get condoms easily. Now and in the distant past (maybe pre-70s they were more difficult to come by in this country).

I'm obviously referring to them knowing they can openly request them at the local clinic or in a pharmacy and not expect to be turned away due to their age.

When someone comes asking they are obviously intending to have sex. The prudent thing to do is supply them with contraceptives.
 
Syndyre said:
They definitely do need guidelines, and I'd say those guidelines should rather be set by the parents than by the state as they way they can be more individually suited to the people in question as obviously everybody's different. Of course there's no guarantee the guidelines will be followed.
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Nope, especially in our society where the number of orphans and kids growing up without parents is enormous... and of course there's those who grow up with parents but might as well not
 
icyrus said:
"Man I wasn't planning on having sex till I am older but now I've got this condom here it seems like a shame to let it go to waste"?
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I really do hate to waste a perfectly good condom :)
 
groundnut said:
Nope, especially in our society where the number of orphans and kids growing up without parents is enormous... and of course there's those who grow up with parents but might as well not
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Unfortunately we don't live in a perfect world.
 
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