Pedophile allowed to stand behind Constitution (page 2)

Buster

O.C.

This issue (in the article anyway) was about magnitude and eveness of punishment. This issue is NOT whether the act was wrong.

The guy picked her up on the internet, they went to the beach and "Shared" Rum and orange juice. Even if she did "volunteer" to the oral sex, could not her judgement have been impaired by the alcohol to do something that she ordinarily may not have done? The guy did not have to face the full penalty of the law, because she agreed to the act after drinking. Maybe if she had not been under the influence from having been given and drinking alcohol with him, which is also illegal, maybe the outcome would have been different.

This issue (in the article anyway) was about magnitude and eveness of punishment. This issue is NOT whether the act was wrong.

I understand what you are saying, I guess I read too much into the article...

Buster

they went to the beach and "Shared" Rum

O.C.:

I'll agree with you all day on this.

I think guy plead guilty, and I'ld put dollars to doughnuts that that was part of the deal. I'm sure the DA could have attacked with charges of forcible rape, as well as a handfull of other realted charges, instead of the lighter statutory version. The guilty plea saved the victim from testifying and expedited the whole process.

funkyderek

ohiocowboy:

Well, they call the girl a "Minor", and an "Adolescent". It led me to believe that she was underage.

She was underage, below the legal age of consent where she lived. She was also too young to legally drink alcohol or to buy a lottery ticket, but was old enough to drive. Had he taken her to nearby Nevada he could legally have had sex with her. Had she been in Ireland where I live, she would have been old enough to consent to oral sex, but too young to have intercourse, drink, do the lottery or drive. In the UK, she could have sex and do the lottery, but not drink or drive. Had she been in France she could have done everything but drive.

He is 22, a grown adult male. I assumed that pedophilia meant having sex with someone underage.

No, p(a)edophilia means a sexual attraction to children.

I never thought that there would be a difference in having sex with a minor whether they would be 6 or 16. I thought it was wrong.

You really don't think there's a difference? Really? Most countries in the world (including 38 of your United States) have an age of consent of 16 or below. Not even the most backward caliphates allow sex with a six-year-old. 16-year-olds regularly choose to have sex, 6-year-olds do not and cannot. I really can't believe you don't see a fundamental difference.

In regards to the voluntary part of it....Do you not think that a ~~pedophile~~ um man that has sex with an adolescent, could possibly see on the news that as long as the Minor or Adolescent consents that it is OK? Maybe now they will realize that they can rework their strategy, and talk the minor into sexual acts, knowing that the law would be on their side as long as the minor said OK? It could set a new precendent on what defines the word "Consent".

Or maybe they could drive to Nevada.

I must have got the wrong idea from reading it. I would have never thought that the age of consent would be someone as young as 16.

Even though you went to ageofconsent.com. Didn't you look at any other jurisdictions?

I seem to recall that if a girl that young wants to have an abortion, get married, or get birth control pills, that she has to have it approved through a parent or legal guardian, as she would not be considered an adult at that age. Yes, she may be able to drive, but the 22 year old guy is an adult who can go to bars and get drunk if he wants to, enter into legal contracts if he wants to, get married without anyone's permission, and so on.

And she can do all those things in many other countries.

Age of consent laws are an example of what Richard Dawkins calls "the tyranny of the discontinuous mind". It's ridiculous to call someone who has consensual sex with a girl of 17 years 364 days a paedophile or a child rapist, while someone who waits an extra day is a perfectly upstanding member of society. It's not at all obvious where the line should be drawn, which is why most legal systems attempt to find a balance between protecting children and allowing young adults the freedom to enjoy sexual activities. Equating someone who's technically on the wrong side of the law to someone who rapes a six year old can only be harmful.

Rabbit

Whew ! The laws world-wide are confusing. There are countries that allow marriage at the tender age of 12 & 14 ! Cultural or religious views are so different. Even the psychological viewpoints don't help too much. I agree, that at least in the US or any other individual country there should be a consensus on age of consent, what constitutes statutory rape and about age differences.

It was amusing that one psychologist mentioned being "attracted to someone 5 years or more" as being a bad thing. My wife is 5 years older than me ! Yes, I know he was talking about younger people, but, what does he base his 'opinion' on...?

I agree the law in California was broken (in more than one way). 1. I don't believe what he did fit the most common view of paedophilia. 2. Statutory rape, imo, according to CA. law was the offense. 3. I was surprised, as liberal as California is, that the 'age of consent' is so high. 4. 16 y/o is the 'normal'. 5. I think the laws are unclear (broken) and need to be changed.

Having said all that -- if he did ply her with alcohol -- that puts a different picture forward altogether. But, I don't know all the facts.

Rabbit

Big Tex

It was amusing that one psychologist mentioned being "attracted to someone 5 years or more" as being a bad thing. My wife is 5 years older than me ! Yes, I know he was talking about younger people, but, what does he base his 'opinion' on...?

This made me smile; Nina is 7 years older than me. We met when I was 19.

Isn't the age of consent in the UK 16 years old? Can't remember. Anyway, my shoot-off-the-hip opinion is that the guy broke California law, but having said that, that doesn't make him a pedophile. California law is not the absolute barometer of pedophilia.

In Texas the age of consent is 17, or there must be greater than a 2 year difference in age. So a 16 year old boy having sex with a 14 year old girl would not be illegal. But a 16 year old boy having sex with a 13 year old girl would be illegal.

Once adolescence hits, it's a slippery slope. Human sexuality is far too complex to put an absolute age limit on what is and isn't pedophilia. I prefer to think of pedophilia as a sexual attraction to children. Now what defines a child or when that child comes of age I prefer to leave open ended to suit the needs of indvidual cases.

Chris

Crumpet

16 IS the age of consent in the UK. I losty my cherry to a guy in his mid twenties when I was 16 - I never considered him to be a pedophile and I went on to have casual sex with guys mostly between 4 and 30 years my senior. I was responsible for the being the seducer in most of these cases. Could I be accused of being a gerontophile by the same token?

SixofNine

"Nina is 7 years older than me. We met when I was 19."

It makes me cry just to think about, Chris. I just want you to know that what she did to you, what she does to you, is not "ok", it's very very dirty, and to know that there is support out here for you if you need it. *typing thru tears of sympathetic pain*

Big Tex

I need a hug

Hold me Six

Balsam

I believe a 22 year old young man having sexual relationship with a 16 year old willing girl should not be viewed as a pedophile. I think the age of concent should be 16. Goodness I was a 16 year old girl once upon a time and had boyfriends and was sexually active, personally I believe the law should be changed because many 16 year old girls consent to sex. Even if she is a 15 and consented to sex. The thing is that many young people start being sexually active at age 13 and up, are we going to have girls register as sex offenders when these 20 something girls have sex with 16 year old boys.

A pedophile is an old adult man or adult woman coercing a child to have sex with them. Personally I think each case has to be examined and no blanket law or rule applied. I'm with Crumpet.

Balsam

Pedophile allowed to stand behind Constitution

Share this