Gay teen conviction overturned by Kansas Supreme Court

[The Seeker]

Don't you have an equivalent of the CPS in America? Over here, this probably would never have gone to court, because it wouldn't have been seen as being worth pursuing.

 

[dclem9834]

i think most of those laws are ridiculous. if someone who is 15 is ooking for sex and finds an 18 year old, thats not rape thats being horny

 

[shirono]

i think most of those laws are ridiculous. if someone who is 15 is ooking for sex and finds an 18 year old, thats not rape thats being horny

Exactly, even if the other knows they are underage, the 15 year old asked and it was consensual. Why is it such a big deal, I can understand if it was unconsensual, but really come on, The laws here in the U.S. are so ridiculous most of the time that I wish I was from another country.

 

[NothingButTheBlood]

Why would you call a law that is about underage sex "Romeo and Juliet". I figured someone died at some point. Statatory rape penalties should be universal. If they are both in a facility for the mentally disabled shouldn't this have been a special case anyway?

 

[fragmentsofdreams]

Why would you call a law that is about underage sex "Romeo and Juliet". I figured someone died at some point. Statatory rape penalties should be universal. If they are both in a facility for the mentally disabled shouldn't this have been a special case anyway?

Romeo and Juliet laws apply to situations where the two young people have sex with each other. For example, if the law is having sex with someone under 16 is satutory rape, two 15 year olds who have sex would both be guilty of rape. Because most find this ridiculous, legislatures created Romeo and Juliet laws to eliminate or reduce the penalties for teenagers close to each other in age. They are called Romeo and Juliet laws because Romeo and Juliet were young lovers who would be covered by the new exception.

 

[Spinrad]

Exactly, even if the other knows they are underage, the 15 year old asked and it was consensual. Why is it such a big deal, I can understand if it was unconsensual, but really come on, The laws here in the U.S. are so ridiculous most of the time that I wish I was from another country.

It's a tough problem, actually. At some point a child must be considered an adult, and that point should be consistent and reasonable for everyone. Before that point the child would simply be a victim. Obviously that point is not the same for everyone, but I am not paying for psychological evaluations of every teenager to determine what that point is for them. We as a society make it whatever. 18, 21, 16. Whatever.

I do feel like children can be victimized by older people when it comes to sex, even when you are giving them what they want. But I too wonder if perhaps the age of consent is higher than it needs to be. Or maybe not high enough. I can make the argument either way. This one, whether we are talking about drinking, fighting, voting or bleeping is too complex for me to have a real opinion.

 

[Jacob4Jesus]

You know, I don't usually advocate lawsuits, but I hope he sues the [words I can't say here] out of the government. This is one of the most inane things I have ever heard. Pure and utter stupidity.

 

[kiwimac]

Amazing ain't it?

It was and is an unjust law and should be struck down asap.

Kiwimac

 

[Helo]

What I fail to understand is why turning 18 magically makes you able to make good choices about sex? There are people that are 30+ who cant make good choices in thier sex lives.

 

[Arnold_Philips]

Kansas, what are we ever going to do with you?

 

[Stellar Vision]

What I fail to understand is why turning 18 magically makes you able to make good choices about sex? There are people that are 30+ who cant make good choices in thier sex lives.

That's what I was thinking. It's hard to see the point in this imaginary line between 17 and 18. Must have something to do with statistics I'd guess. Yet the reality is that for the individual there is no discrete change in maturity when turning 18.

 

[Helo]

That's what I was thinking. It's hard to see the point in this imaginary line between 17 and 18. Must have something to do with statistics I'd guess. Yet the reality is that for the individual there is no discrete change in maturity when turning 18.

Its a bad idea to make laws based on shakey majorities. I know people who started having a responsible sex life at age 12, but I know someone who's 41 and still cant make responsible decisions about his sex life.

 

[The Seeker]

That's what I was thinking. It's hard to see the point in this imaginary line between 17 and 18. Must have something to do with statistics I'd guess. Yet the reality is that for the individual there is no discrete change in maturity when turning 18.

IMO, some kind of "band" structure would be better than a strictly divided age of consent, something like:
18+
_____
16-17
_____
14-16

Where somebody could not be prosecuted for having sex with somebody who was only only one "band" below them.

 

[belladonic-haze]

I couold care less.

Well, I hope it never happens to you then...wonder how much you would care then?

 

[trunks2k]

What I fail to understand is why turning 18 magically makes you able to make good choices about sex?

There isn't anything, but we need to draw the line somewhere to keep things a bit more clear for the law. 18 is just what we've agreed as by that time, MOST people are competent enough to make their own decisions.

That said, I think it's stupid to strictly enforce statatory rape laws. As others have said, sometimes you just don't know that a person is underaged. IIRC, in some states, they take things like that into account, I've heard of several statutory rape cases that were dropped because the girl looked way over 18, but was really 14 or something, and nobody had thought to ask her age.

As for adding a person who commits statutory rape to a sexual offender's list, I think that in a lot of cases it's a bad idea, especially if the sex was consentual. Sexual offender's lists should be limited to those who commit violent sexual acts (i.e. rape), assault children (again you would probably have to draw an arbitrary line. Is a 13 year old a child?), or use a position of power to get an underaged person to have sex (i.e. a teacher having sex with a student).

 

[xMinionX]

Why does Kansas always lag 50 years behind the rest of the world?

Just sayin'...

 

[belladonic-haze]

Why does Kansas always lag 50 years behind the rest of the world?

Just sayin'...

Makes you wonder if people have ruby slippers to leave the state...