Friday, June 11, 2010

SEXUAL ACTIVITY AND AGE OF CONSENT


Getting this book ready for publication is a time consuming and a research heavy endeavor. It's fun and interesting though, and really educational, but WhoooHoo- hard to get back here. Never the less, I plan to post at least once a week now- hopefully even more, so please check back frequently.

One of the chapters in Adultery is Universal, deals with variation in attitudes, moral and legal aspects relating to sexual activity between those in the United States and other countries. The age of consent is the age when the law says you can agree to have sex.

In countries like Albania, Angola, Barbados, Guinea, Ghana, Iran, Kuwait, Liberia, Morrocco, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen and quite a few others, it is illegal to have sex with someone of the same gender. In the majority of countries and most states in the U.S., the legal age of consent is 16.

In Pakistan and a number of countries, you must be married to have sex legally. Premarital sex or sex outside of marriage is condemmed and there are punishments for violating the law. In Liechtenstein, Puerto Rico, Lithuania, Estonia, and Ecuador, the legal age of consent is 14 across the board, males, females , and same gender. In some countries like Israel the male must be 14 and the female 16. In India, the age of consent is 16 for heterosexual sex, excpet in Manipaur, where it is 14. In Japan the age of consent is 13, although the federal law is often overridden by regional laws which requires the age to be 18. In the state of California it is a flat 18 years old whether the relationship is hetero or homosexual, and regardless of gender.

In Queensland, the legal age of consent for anal intercourse is 18 (regardless of gender), while for vaginal intercourse it is 16. In Finland, sex with someone under 16 is not deemed sexual abuse of a child if "there is no great difference in the ages or the mental and physical maturity of the persons involved. It is similar in Norway. In Mexico the federal law varies according to the age gap between partners and is often overruled by regional laws. The age of sexual consent in the Philippines is 12 for all, but contacts with minors (under 18) are an offense if the minor consents to the act for money, gain or any other remuneration or as the result of an influence of any adult person.


You may not know this but, "...it is illegal for an American citizen or resident to
have sex in another country with someone aged under 16, unless the age
difference is less than 4 years, in which case the minimum age is 12. Also under
some circumstances it is possible for members of the U.S. military to also be
charged under state laws.
"
(avert.org)

Each state in the US has it's own age of consent and state laws that apply to that individual state regarding sexual activity. Nearly all of the states require that the male be at least 16 and the female either the same or 17 or 18. Arkansas, Indiana and Iowa allow sexual relations for the male at age 14. Colorado allows the male to legally participate sexually at age 15.

Extra marital affairs may carry moral or religious judgments and consequences in civil or religious law, however it is not illegal in most states. That said as recent as 2001, Viginia prosecuted a man for adultery, and other states allow jilted spouses to sue their ex-partners' lovers for alienation of affections.

This information can change at any time as laws change and therefore may need updating in the future.

Sources include:
Avert.com and Wikipedia.com