Is "statutory" rape a victimless crime?

Question

Just spent some time at moraloutrage.net and had to ask yahooligans the above question. If it's consensual, should it be criminal? Are we letting the government go to far in telling us what we can do with our bodies?

Note: I'm not referring to pedophilia by any means.

Answer 1

I agree that statutory "rape" (when consensual) is not rape at all. It is a created crime that is not found in natural law. It should not have the word "rape" attached to it. It is obviously there for the horrific effect.

Earlier in our country's history, it was very common to marry a daughter off at 12 and 13 years old. Our society has changed toward a puritan ethic, where sex is a bad thing that people need "protection" from. Our brainwashed masses now react in kneejerk style to the "horror" of statutory rape, just as they have been conditioned to.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

No, it is not a victimless crime.

In every society, you have to define a line somewhere between an adult, someone fully responsible for the actions and a child, someone who is not. Is it a fair way to do it, probably not. My daughter was more mature at 14 than my oldest son is at 29. That being said, what other method are you going to use, have everyone take a test?

The line we have drawn in this country is pretty clear in most cases. The majority of places the age is 18. If you're 17 and 355 day old, you're a child. One day later, you're an adult. Seems rather arbitrary but there is one very simple point, everyone knows the rules. If an 18 yo boy decides to have sex with a 16 yo girl, it doesn't happen by accident. You might trip and fall on someone by accident but you don't have sex by accident.

The adult has to take responsibility, it's that simple. You don't get to pick and choose what laws to follow, that's called anarchy. If you choose to break the law, you better be prepared to pay the consequences.

Answer 4

Statutory rape is not a victimless crime. The victim is the child who is not yet mature enough to consent to sex. They are often pressured and manipulated in to performing actions that they are not physically and emotionally mature enough to perform.

I am a dv/rape crisis counselor and I see these girls everyday. They fall for an older boy who they think loves them and they wind up making very adult decisions with their child minds and bodies. I see so many girls who end up with babies and STDs and these boys end up long gone. The majority of these girls deeply regret their decision.

The age of consent in most states is between 16 & 18. This is considered the age where these children are considered physically mature and capable of making decisions for their own bodies. If statutory rape is considered a victimless crime, if the child is 15 or 14...then where do you draw the line. If a 15 year old can make decisions about her body what about an 11 year old? What about an 8 year old?

I know teens feel that they can make decisions for their own bodies, but I can tell you from experience that this is not always the case.

Answer 5

Well I think it is a crime...sure it is consensual....but even though teens have some things going for them...they do not have much in the way of life experiences and wisdom.

My son for example..is 10....when he is 14 he is still not ready to be having sex. And an adult can so easily manipulate some teens with the right words....so even though they agree to the sex...they do not recognize that the adult has been..lets say forcing them to have sex by manipulating their minds?

Answer 6

I think any thing under the legal age to have sex it should be, but if at or over the legal age to have sex it should not be "statutory" rape. like here the legal age is 16 but if a 22 year old has sex with her it is statutory rape. So I think they need to do a better job to figure things out.

Answer 7

Yes, it should be criminal. There are laws protecting young people from child labor, entering into a contract, joining the military, and having sex for a very good reason. To keep them from making bad choices when they are not intellectually developed enough to make those kinds of choices.

And as most women know (and many men admit), males will lie their pants off (pun intended) in order to have sex.

Answer 8

hmm. I don't think it's exactly "victimless", I think it's more like "young person too dumb and/or inexperienced to not act like a potential victim".

Should dumb people be protected from their own stupidity by the law? Probably not. But if someone is just inexperienced rather than dumb, then what? And if that inexperience is directly related to youth, it gets even more muddy an issue...

So, in the end. I dunno. I think that is the honest answer.

Answer 9

If a child agrees to put his hand on a hot stove and gets third degree burns,is he not a victim?
The child doesn't know better therefore the adult is held responsible.
There has to be a line somewhere....evidently you are not a parent.

Answer 10

The government has been telling us what to do with our bodies for a long time: seat belts, child seats, helmets, can't pull the plug, have to live in a coma, can't abort-even in a rape situation-
can't afford prescription drugs, can't live on Soc. Sec., dress codes, hair codes, etc. etc. etc. Sometimes I wonder if all this is only to produce revenue.