Instead of teaching sex education or teaching abstinence, just throw the kids in jail
So, why not just throw the problem out there, and then take an agnostic position toward it? It doesn't involve a lot of work, but it leaves the impression that you care.
The Globe sucks.
"There was also the testimony of Dr. Elizabeth Shadigian, best known as a stalwart of the abortion-gives-you-breast-cancer misinformation campaign. She said that teenage girls are always the victims of sexual activity because ''there's always a power differential between a boy and a girl." When girls have sex, they aren't doing, she said, ''they have been done to.""
Wow, what a backward view of women. She totally removes the possibliity of women making a free choice.
Excellent line!
This is just another "Red State Republicans are knuckle dragging oafs" hit piece.
I am sorry, but the legislative intent of "age of consent" laws has always, always been to discourage "adults" from having sex with "children" (age of consent).
The legislative intent of such laws was never, and until now in Kansas, used to legally prosecute two minors who "consented" to have sex with each other.
The purpose of the new draconian approach, may have very noble and moral motives (discourage sexual relations by teens and children), however the blunt instrument of making criminals of two teens, where no force and no adult was involved seems not only not good sense but contrary to what most parents, even religious parents, would want to see happen to their own children. Even now, when an unmarried 17-year-old girl has consenual sex with an unmarried 18-year-old-boy, rarely is the boy prosecuted for "statuatory" rape. Why? Because such a prosecution is generally, in such a case, in contradiction of the spirit of the intent of the "age of consent" law; even though it conforms to the "letter" of the law.
I would think both sets of parents would look at the criminalization of their children as state authority gone too far.
That state authority and the dollars behind it would be put to better purpose as added attention to education and public relations programs encouraging abstinance.
Here's a question. If the guy is 17 and the girl is 18--what then?
The majority of my high school sex ed curriculum here in Kansas was abstinence, though not all of it. I do not have much of a problem with that since some just won't get the message...hopefully they will at least be safe.
As for myself, my girlfriend and I have made a commitment to not do anything but simple kisses until marriage. Thank God she is not of the mindset that she should not kiss at all until marriage like some girls at my conservative Presbyterian college. But, I am finding out how incredibly hard holding to this agreement is going to be, for both of us.
With kids not being told to be responsible and restrain the desires of the flesh anymore, is it any wonder kids are having sex so much? They don't know HOW to restrain themselves.
It is NOT easy work, but it is the right thing to do until marriage.