Sexual immorality still against the law

[Buffmaster]

Sexual immorality still against the law


August 21, 2007


In many states, including Idaho, sex outside marriage is against the law, and that includes consensual sex between teenagers. Sex outside marriage, whether "fornication" or "adultery" from a legal standpoint, is punishable by both a fine and imprisonment.

Yet, educating teens about the legal risks they run if they become sexually active before marriage is a topic that is rarely if ever discussed in sex ed classes.

I'm guessing educators show less restraint in making students aware of the legal risks of drunk driving or possession of drugs, but common sense dictates that making young adults aware that their behavior is not only dangerous but also illegal ought to be a part of a thorough education.

Says a former Georgia district attorney, "We do a disgraceful job of educating kids about the very real consequences that they face." He will soon publish a book entitled, "Ignorance Is No Defense: A Teenagers Guide to Georgia Law."

One educator in Sugar Land, Texas brings a police officer in to teach a class on sex and the law to her high schoolers, and says it is probably her most popular class. "The kids are really engaged and ask a lot of questions," she says. "And most of them are completely amazed that they could actually be arrested."

The director of the National Abstinence Education Association says that districts that receive federal abstinence funds are encouraged to teach age-of-consent laws as part of the classes, and it is a requirement for participating schools in the state of Georgia.

Said one mother, whose 17-year-old son spent two years in prison for having sex with his 14-year-old girlfriend, "These kids have to know what they are facing out there."

Most teens and many parents in Idaho are most likely unaware that consensual teenage sex is a crime. Idaho lawmakers adjusted our sex offender statutes to include a "Romeo and Juliet" exception that keeps a young man who is a statutory rapist from being required to register as a sex offender, but when a male of any age — including a teenager — has sex with a girl under the age of 18, he is guilty of rape under Idaho law, whether the sex was consensual or not.

Idaho law requires that he be sent to prison for no less than one year.

The law is rarely enforced, which has produced considerable anguish in the lives of parents who have seen older males take sexual advantage of their underage daughters only to find authorities are unwilling to pursue justice on their behalf and on behalf of their victimized daughters.

Sexual immorality — "fornication" is the legal term — is still punishable in Idaho by a fine of up to $300 and up to six months imprisonment.

Adultery is still punishable in Idaho by a fine of up to $1000 or imprisonment in the state penitentiary for up to three years.

In other words, Idaho's lawmakers have recognized the truth long taught in the Judeo-Christian tradition, that sex is a good, powerful, sacred and dangerous force, which for the sake of all parties concerned and for the health of society in general should be reserved for marriage.

Perhaps classroom education and consistent and visible enforcement of existing Idaho law would have a wonderfully salutary effect on sexual mores and sexual conduct in the Gem State.

[happywonton]

That sucks for the 17 yr old kid.