[kj] OT: R.Kelly Likens Self to Bin Laden

[gathering@misera.net]

The problem with legal age of consent is that it 
is very individual when people get sexually 
mature. In some ethnic groups it is lower age 
then and the youth must wait for longer time and 
got stressed and frustrated by impossibility to 
express themselves sexually in any legal way.

The age of consent is in no way defense against 
sexual abuse of children --- in fact vast 
majority of sexual abuse of children are from 
their parents, relatives and "family friends". 
Even priests do not have so high score 
as "closest people" to children.
Will any child send its parent for example to 
jail? Hardly so!

All morality is just a matter of heritage of the 
past generations and their material needs and so 
on. It differs a lot in various countries and 
regions.

I was born when my mother was still an 
apprentice, age of 18. But my parents got a flat 
within a year from my birth (the state paid kind 
of benefit for all young married couples), they 
both got jobs automatically and health service 
and all the stuff was free. So I was not in the 
end living in bad conditions as if it would 
happen now when it is difficult to get a decent 
job for 18-year-old and to be able to buy the 
flat is a kind of miracle (if your daddy is not a 
top manager or so.) 

So quite understandably it was no problem in 
1970s to have a child when you were 18 or even 
younger. Number of my schoolmates had as young 
parents as me.

And in any case abortion was legal, free and 
professionally done in state hospitals. I know 
this is not the best thing to do for women, but 
still better than leave child live in some kind 
of dump or slum.

And as regards sexual illnesses and potencial 
pregnancy, I don't think that age of consent and 
advice for sexual abstinence is the best and most 
realistic way how to deal with it. What about 
open sexual education at school?

Pavel