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Friday, March 14, 2008

If There’s Grass On the Field…

posted by on March 14 at 17:01 PM

Last Friday I stayed in with the intention of working on Slog posts, but instead I watched 20/20. I hate the news-magazine format for its cloying sensationalism, but their story on a young couple dealing with the husband’s sex-offender status, earned while he was a teenager having consensual sex with the woman who would later become his wife, was well-balanced and thought-provoking. They are running part two of the story tonight (on our local ABC affiliate, KOMO 4), so if you’re not doing anything else at 10 o’clock, it may help you forget how lame you feel for not doing anything else at 10 o’clock on a Friday night.

Laws like this frustrate me because, when applied in such a black-or-white way, they are not necessarily protective, and can unfairly ruin someone’s life. Sure, you can argue that it’s one’s personal responsibility to know the law and follow it, but teens with teens? I’ve said it before and I’ve said it again: I did not magically start making awesome decisions when I turned 18. How is it beneficial to society to make a man suffer for the rest of his life for a victimless mistake?

Any parents of teens out there, PLEASE talk to them about the age of consent laws in your state and how to avoid a very costly mistake. I feel strongly that this should also be covered in high school health classes, but in abstinence-only land that seems unlikely. This site collects the specific state laws, and many others provide a breakdown of ages of consent around the world.

RSS icon Comments

1

You managed to make looking up age of consent laws not creepy.

Posted by Mike in MO | March 14, 2008 5:17 PM
2

GOOD ADVICE

I once watched my 16 year old nephew go the rounds with cops, yes, he was a minor league troublemaker at that age, cops tried to get him for statuatory rape. His girlfriend who was a savy 15.

She was great, screaming and ranting at the cops that she would not testify or co operate in any way, to cops and her family and they gave up.

Since - happy ending, he survived those rocky years, happily married, two kids, nice house, good job.

Fuck the slime ball cops, and they will use age of consent if they get it in for you as a teen. Of course, working class kids get the brunt, not the up scale kids from the monied families.

Posted by John | March 14, 2008 5:22 PM
3

No, it's not "fuck the slimeball cops," they don't make the laws. Fuck the slimeball legislators? Yeah, I'm with you on that 100%.

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty | March 14, 2008 5:48 PM
4

@3: The cops don't make the laws, but they do enforce them unequally. Look at Genarlow Wilson: if he was from different circumstances, would any of that have happened? Just a thought.

Posted by Aislinn | March 14, 2008 6:01 PM
5

Fuck the slimeball jurors that don't know about jury nullification.

Posted by Anon | March 14, 2008 6:16 PM
6

Yes, Aislinn, the enforcement of a lot of laws is discretionary. Murder? No. Rape? No. Pissing in public? Hell, yes. Statutory rape without a witness? You betcha. But if you don't like the law, bitching about cops isn't going to change that. It's a stupid law, I agree; tell your senators and representatives that. They probably won't pay any attention to you, but you will at least have accomplished more than complaining about cops here will.

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty | March 14, 2008 7:26 PM

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