Parties reject call to lower age of consent

Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, rejected a ‘blanket reduction’ in the age of consent. Photograph: Jeff Overs/BBC/PA

Britain’s three primary political events joined forces to reject a call by a top public health official to consider reducing the age of consent to 15.

A spokesman for the prime minister stated the existing age of sixteen was made to protect children, a see echoed by the Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, who rejected a “blanket reduction” in the age of consent.

Labour mentioned the move would not tackle teenage pregnancy.

The 3 events were responding right after Professor John Ashton, president of the Faculty of Public Well being, known as for a lowering of the age of consent to make it less complicated for 15-year-olds to look for contraception and sexual wellness advice from the NHS. Up to a third of teens are believed to have intercourse just before they attain 16.

Ashton told the Sunday Occasions: “Simply because we are so confused about this and we have kept the age of consent at sixteen, the 15-year-olds don’t have clear routes to receiving some help. My very own see is there is an argument for decreasing it to 15 but you cannot do it with out the public supporting the thought and we require to get a sense of public opinion about this.

“I would not personally argue for 14 but I think we ought to critically be searching at 15 so that we can draw a line in the sand and truly, as a society, actively discourage sexual involvement underneath 15. By doing that, you would be able to legitimately organise services to meet the need to have.”

Downing Street gave the proposal brief shrift. A spokesman said: “We reject the get in touch with to reduce the age of consent. The present age is in area to protect kids and there are no ideas to alter it.”

Asked on the Andrew Marr Present on BBC1 what he imagined of Ashton’s contact, Clegg mentioned: “I am not in favour of that. The age of consent has been a British law for generations in order to protect children.

“This wellness skilled is proper in saying there is a problem – we have far too higher levels of teenage pregnancy. I am worried, like everyone is anxious, about the sexualisation, the culture and the data so numerous young men and women are bombarded with.

“That is why I am consistently urging Michael Gove to update and modernise sex schooling in schools, which has not kept up with the world wide web age.

“But do I feel merely a blanket reduction in the age of consent is the response to this challenging dilemma? No. So yes, there is a issue. Yes, we want a debate. Yes, we need to update sex training. But this is not the answer.”

The Division for Education dismissed Clegg’s phone for a alter to the tips on intercourse training. A spokesperson advised the BBC that existing advice supplied a sound framework for sex and partnership schooling.

Luciana Berger, the shadow public overall health minister, endorsed Clegg’s get in touch with for sex schooling to be up to date as she also rejected the call to reduced the age of consent. “Reducing the age of consent is not the way to tackle teenage pregnancy and we are against such a move. The teenage pregnancy charge fell considerably underneath the last Labour government. But sexual wellness clinics are now closing their doors and young folks are struggling to get appointments.

“Labour has named for improved sex and relationship education and tabled amendments to current legislation for it to be manufactured necessary, not voluntary, in all colleges. Regrettably, the change was voted down by Tory MPs.”

Parties reject call to lower age of consent