Why is the age of consent for s*x so high in the US

Question

Look her, in most states it is 16. But look at Europe most European countries are 14, Spain is 13 and in Mexico the age of consent is 12.

Don't you think that we should drop our age of consent to at least 14?

I think most 14 year old ARE mature enough to consent to s*x, also 14 year old are NOT children, they are young adults, and there IS a difference!

Answer 1

WOW!! How old are you? A 14-16 year old is not mature enough to consent to s*x and yes they are still children. Other wise they would be able to go to work and support themselves. I'm sorry if this sounds rude but most 14-16 year olds still don't know how to give themselves a shower correctly! Add s*x, std's (which most teens have) and pregnancy! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!!

There are some teens that have no choice but to grow up fast, due to their family situation, but to say other countries do it why not the U.S. is silly.

Answer 2

14-year-olds are not adults.

They cannot see a doctor without their parents' or guardians' consent. They can't take medication without their parents' consent. They can't work without their parents 'consent, and in most states they can't work at all until they are 16. They can't drive.

How are they mature enough to have s*x if they cannot get birth control other than condoms, if they cannot drive themselves to the doctor, and cannot work to pay for the birth control/ for unplanned children?

Answer 3

i think it should be 18, when your a teenager you think your so grown up, but your really not... the older i get (and i'm only 25) the more i realise how young I was when I thought I was mature.

Answer 4

with s*x there is consequences std's and aids and pregnancy. the fact that europe and spain have younger consent ages is on them they obviously don't consider those factors. I don't think the age for consent should be changed kids as young as 13 are already having s*x if the state changes the age for consent then younger kids will probably start having s*x sooner. why do you think it's okay not all 14 year olds are mature enough to have s*x

Answer 5

The age of consent in many European countries is 17. And some are 18. Everyone has different laws. 16 is not so high. Personally 18 is a much better option. I personally would never live anywhere that a child can consent to s*x at 13. And at 12 years old you are NOT a young adult. You ARE a child. Lower age of consent laws only mean that child predators have a larger base of legal victims. It protects nobody and harms many.

Answer 6

The age of consent should be 18 that is when you will legally become an adult. It sounds that if you want the age lowered to 14 that you are 14. I have yet to see a 14 year old that is mature enough to be able to consent and i have seen alot of 14 year olds, I am in law enforcement. You are not grown whether even tough you think you are. You have a lot of growing up still to do. O yeah i forgot the saying Hire a teenager while they still know everything. You have not lived long enough or seen enough of the world to be able to make a life changing expierence.  

Answer 7

**** no.

I wouldnt want my 14 year old having s*x at all much less with someone over the age of 18, its disgusting.

its not barring them from some special club its protecting that from the dangers of perverted old people.  

Answer 8

Are you kidding me?  do you know how many little girls (12-16) have s*x because they think they are in love.  they may very well know what they are doing at that age, but they don't always know what they are doing is right/wrong.  Little girls think too much with their heart using their v****a rather than thinking with their head.  

Answer 9

You are definitely under the age of 18 if you think 14 year olds are mature enough to consent to s*x.  You're missing the bigger picture, 14 year olds ARE children, and they are NOT mature enough to raise a baby.  In my opinion, 18 is too young, but I know many 18 year olds that manage it just fine.  

What's the ideal age to start having s*x?  When you are living on your own, supporting yourself with a job, paying all your own bills, and have money left over to support a child.  Then, you may consider having s*x.  Otherwise, keep it in your pants, realize you ARE a child, and enjoy your youth while you have it.  

Thank you very much for making me sound like my father.  Ugh...guess I really am growing up.

Answer 10

here's the difference between the US and Europe. Young Europeans have a maturity level equal to that of a 20-30yo in North America. Thats one reason that the age of consent is so different. 14yo's ARE just kids in this society. and the age of consent is more applicable when the child's partner is older than he/she.  

Answer 11

Personally I think it should be 18- what we con sider an adult. It is an adult activity and yet we are so accepting of children participating in it. We wonder why are teenage pregnancies are so high. I am not preaching against premarital s*x. I just think we should emphasize that cildren are just that children. We blur the lines too much and confuse them. It is no wonder we end up with teen moms who want to party and act like children- after participating in adult acts.

Answer 12

No it should not be changed to 14! I live in England the age of consent here in England is 16 years old. I think it should be changed to 18!

I had s*x and became pregnant at age 16 and many other teens do the same thing where i live, If the law was changed to 14 i bet we would have a load of 14 year old girls walking around pregnant then.

Answer 13

First of all, 14 year olds are NOT young adults. A young adult in the USA is not until you are 18 and even then you are still a teenager. You are a teen until 20. And not all 14 year olds are mature. There are adults who still are not mature. I think your thinking on this matter is unmature. Kids should not have s*x at any age (or adults) until they are ready to commit to being full time parents to the baby they will most likely create.  

Answer 14

Different countries have differernt ways of life, different cultures, different experiences etc, influences etc etc, here is Australia it is 16 and quite frankly I think it should be put UP not down, and 14 is NOT an adult, it's a child and still going through puberty, a young adult is 18 yrs of age not before, and even then some are so immature, they should definitely not be having s*x yet.

How can you call a 14 yr old an adult - they are fourTEEN - hence why they are TEENagers and NOT adults. seriously if you want it to be lower, thenjust move to that particular country that is it allowed then. problem solved.

Answer 15

The answers above  are quite clearly from American users, which is appropriate since you're basically saying age of consent should be lowered in the US

"I think most 14 year old ARE mature enough to consent to s*x, also 14 year old are NOT children, they are young adults, and there IS a difference!"

I think this is true for European people, but your countrymen thinks it's not true for Americans. Perhaps they're right, but just because American teens are not mature enough they think it must be same worldwide... In Countries where age of consent is lower than in the US teenage pregnancy MUST be higher, right...?

Well, definitely NOT.

Teen pregnancy rate in the US is MUCH higher than in any European Country, especially in continental Europe; in the UK is higher and they're worried about, but even so, there is less than a half than in the US...

In Italy age of consent is 14 (13 between minors) and Italy have the second lowest teenage pregnancy rate worldwide second only to Japan (according to a 2005 survey, just now I can't retrieve it).

The point is European teens are much more educated about sexual life and people in general are not scared to death to talk about s*x to their children (both at home or at school).

People 14 and above are not considered children; not yet adult, but still not children any more. Actually nobody in Italy would ever think to use the word for child (bambino) talking about a 16 year old person.

"The average number of births for every 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19 is approximately 15 in the countries of the European Union. The United States – with 64 births per year for every 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19 – has the highest rates."

http://www.unicef.org/pon96/inbirth.htm

" The U.S. teenage birth rate is the highest among the most developed countries in the world: more than two and a half times as high as Australia's, nearly three times as high as Canada's, nearly four times as high as Germany's, nearly five and a half times as high as France's, nearly seven and a half times as high as Japan's, and nearly nine times as high as the Netherlands' (Hamilton et al., 2006; United Nations, 2007)."

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/issues-...

"Teen Birth Rates:

How Does the United States Compare?

Despite a one-third decline since the early 1990s, the United States still has the highest rates

of teen pregnancy and birth among comparable countries. In 2004, the U.S. teen birth rate was 41.1

births per 1,000 teens aged 15-19. By way of comparison, the U.S. teen birth rate is one and a half

times higher than the teen birth rate in the United Kingdom (26.8 per 1,000) which has the highest

teen birth rate in Europe, more than twice as high as the teen birth rate in Canada (14.5 per 1,000),

seven times higher than the teen birth rate in Japan (5.6 per 1,000), Denmark (5.7 per 1,000) and

Sweden (5.9 per 1,000).

* All birth rates are for 2004 unless otherwise noted.

Source: United Nations Statistics Division. (2004). Demographic Yearbook 2004. New York: United Nations.

Teen Birth Rates, 2004*

United States 41.1

United Kingdom 26.8

Portugal 19.6

Australia 16.1

Canada 14.5

Greece (2003) 11.1

Germany 11

Spain (2003) 10.8

Finland 10.6

Norway 8.2

France (2003) 7.8

Italy (2003) 6.7

Sweden 5.9

Denmark 5.7

Japan 5.6

Switzerland 5.2

Netherlands 4.6

Why? Look what The Guardian says:

"s*x talk 'reduces teen pregnancy rate'"

"Teenage pregnancy in Britain will remain far above European levels because s*x is regarded as "dirty" by too many parents and schools.

A study to be published shortly in the Journal of Social Policy, says s*x education puts too much emphasis on the riskiness and danger of s*x, too little on its pleasure. This leads young people, especially boys, to adopt irresponsible attitudes. "

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/jan/04...

That's about UK teens; what do you think the situation in the US is... aren't American parents even less prone to talk about the matter compared to British...?

So, I think you're right but wrong at the same time; it's the American society, customs, culture and habits, that don't allow American teens to get the same consciousness about matters like (but no only) s*x.

Answer 16

14 year olds are not the same in this country as they are in other countries. For better or for worse the United States has set higher standards for its youths future and by doing so rises above the rest in  a lot of things.

So you think 14 year olds are mature enough to consent to s*x? The laws of consensual s*x are set up to protect the youth against predators. Do you really believe that a 14 is ok to say yes, I am mature enough to have s*x with this 35 year old??

Grow up, go to college, go see all those other countries you think have it right, then think about s*x and what it means to be 14 and allowing that in your life.