The UK Debates Lowering The Age of Sexual Consent
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In the UK a debate is currently running on BBC Radio where the argument is for lowering the current age of sexual consent to 13 from the already established age of 16.
Here in the UK there is a topic of great discussion that affects us as parents.
LOWERING THE AGE OF SEXUAL CONSENT
This topic is up for debate on BBC Radio tonight. The program in question is Iconoclasts which is a Radio 4 discussion programme. On it, Law Professor John Spencer will be arguing the requirement to lower the age of sexual consent to 13.
Currently in the UK the age of sexual consent is 16. Anything lower and you are breaking the law.
Spencer argues it should be lowered as it criminalises half the teenage population.
There are argues for and against. I certainly believe the age should be higher, but that is just my take on it. The thought of lowering the age is stupendous and asking for trouble. It is certainly irresponsible and sets an example to young kids that it doesn’t matter about getting pregnant at such a young age or contracting Sexually Transmitted Infections.
Currently it is difficult to enforce the age of consent anywhere in the world where an age is set.
In the UK according to the World Health Organisation around four in 10 girls and more than three in 10 boys have had underage sex. That is a shocking statistic to hear and worrying for any respectable parent raising children today. But the problem is getting worse around the world.
Britain is already known as the European Capital for Teenage Pregnancies. According to statistics more than 8000 under-16s and slightly under 43,000 under-18’s fell pregnant in the year 2007.
It isn’t just the chance of Sexually Transmitted Infections and Unwanted pregnancies that would be at the forefront of concern.
Psychological aspects have to be taken into account. Already teenage mothers are three times more likely to suffer from postnatal depression than other mums. Another worrying statistic is that babies of teen mums are 60 per cent more likely to die in just the first year.
Risks to a baby’s development are also a concern including lower birth weights and other severe implications to the developing baby.
And the debate is to LOWER THE AGE?
There’s also a higher risk of low birth weight, which can have severe implications for the baby’s health.
Abortion, another sensitive area for any woman of any age, would obviously increase. Whilst safe there are always risks involved as much as emotional suffering when faced with such a decision for a person. At 13 this would be just too much.
Then we have the costs. Who is going to pay the way to feed and cloth the child? A 13 year old girl, still in school would not be able to support the child. Financial burden is already upon most of us and again this could put too much pressure on supporting parents of the teenage mother. So are we also encouraging the governments to foot the bill?
Sexual health
The UK leads the way in Europe for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in young people. The warning signs are there already at the age currently set. Lowering it even more is only going to INCREASE such statistics and potential misery.
Chlamydia has already reached epidemic proportions and is serious as it often shows no symptoms. It can also lead to infertility in BOTH SEXES.
Then there are the long-term health effects. We know that the more sexual partners a girl has, the greater her risk of developing cervical cancer.
CERVICAL CANCER
It is a fact that the more sexual partners a girl has, the greater the risk of developing cervical cancer. The new jab that protects against some strains of HPV which is the virus linked to cervical cancer WON’T give full protection.
Emotional pressure
The emotional pressures on young people already are pretty high as it is and lowering the age even further would surely be severely detrimental emotionally to the child consenting and put the young person under intoleable pressure before they are emotionally mature.
Paedophile Problems increase
Already we as parents live in fear of an adult preying on our children in ANY sexual manner, whether emotionally through “grooming” or by actual physical sexual acts. But lowering the age of consent sends a message to those vultures of children that it is no longer “against the law”.
What terrifying thoughts that brings…
The irony of this debate is this: If this was ever passed and the age of consent was lowered, then you can go out and have sex at 13, but you still have to wait another 5 years before you can drink alcohol.
It certainly is a crazy and frightening world out there.
4 Comments
I think it is very irresponsible to lower the age of consent to 13 and I wonder if Professor John Spencer has children of his own and how he would feel if his young daughter were to fall pregnant or contract a sexully transmitted disease at that age, or infact if his young son were to father a child at 13. 13 is so young and children of this age certainly do not have the maturity to cope with the pressures that having children would put on them physically and emotionally, it is hard enough as a grown adult. The financial burden on their parents would also be great and totally unfair when as you so rightfully say times are hard enough. It really does come down to parenting though and I would like to think that I have taught my children good morals and so much so that the idea of having sex at such a young age would not even be thought about. I understand however that there are parents in this world who have very different ideas of what is right and wrong and that is their choice and those are the people who will have to face the consequences when things go wrong.
Irresponsible and rediculous! Need I say more??
To me 16 was still to young but was better then 13.At that age,the responsilibilities of a child,std or anything else would be way over their heads.I had a baby 3 days after my 18th birthday and another at 19, i was overwhelmed at that age.
What are they thinking to put that kind of decision like that into someones hands that isnt emotionly/mentally ready for it?
The problem is, you can’t stop human nature, and young people have hormones even stronger than ours his idea is probably designed to make it easier for young people to get advice, contraception – and to be able to talk to their parents about sexual issues – without being made criminals for doing so. If it’s all out in the open then it’s far easier to control and to educate people properly. I feel the same way about drugs: legalise them and gain control of the situation. This isn’t to say that we, as parents, should teach our kids to sleep around or take drugs, but we shouldn’t criminalise young people for doing what’s natural. I had sex before the age of consent, and i spoke to my mum so I could arrange contraception. She called me a slag and refused to come with me to get the pill, so my poor step-dad had to accompany me. Sex is natural and young people can be educated to engage in it responsibly, but parents have to take the resonsibility for that education, and often they don’t – or they do it in the wrong way, alienating the teenagers and making any further honesty about the subject very unlikely.