Age of consent: the politics of sex | Editorial

The United kingdom has the highest level of teenage pregnancies in western Europe, the highest amount of dwell births and the highest variety of abortions. A decade of perform among 1998 and 2008 reversed the upward trend but the British statistics are nonetheless effectively out of line with the knowledge of neighbouring countries: five occasions much more infants are born to youngsters in the Uk as in the Netherlands, twice as numerous as in Germany or France.

Infants born to teenage mothers are more probably to be underweight, or premature, or to endure an accident. Their mothers are disproportionately very likely to endure postnatal depression and experience other episodes of mental sickness. They are much more likely to be educationally, economically or socially excluded. So generating every teenage pregnancy a needed pregnancy could only be a excellent issue. But no one thinks getting there will be easy.

Into this intractable difficulty, Professor John Ashton has lobbed the proposal of lowering the age of consent to 15. It is not very clear why. The age of consent is 16 in the Netherlands, 15 in France and, in most conditions, just 14 in Germany, so it looks unlikely there is any causal hyperlink among it and secure sexual exercise. The professor, who is president of the Faculty of Public Overall health – far more familiar from its pronouncements on diet program and drink – believes that decreasing the age limit may well encourage a lot more young people to seek guidance and advice. His argument does not stack up.

It is estimated that a third of teens have had intercourse by the time they are 16. It is correct that as well numerous of them get pregnant, but it truly is a really modest proportion – about 40 per a hundred,000 – of the total quantity of sexually active teenagers. Medical doctors and family members organizing clinics are expressly allowed by the Department of Wellness to give contraception and guidance to under-age clientele as extended as it is regarded as that they are capable of understanding the implications. And the Crown Prosecution Support is clear that, despite the fact that exactly where sex is not mutually agreed 1 kid can commit an offence towards another, consenting sexual exercise is “extremely unlikely” to be prosecuted. The worst to be mentioned of the recent law is that it is hypocritical.

Downing Street was fast to reject the Ashton proposal. It was surely out of sync with Monday’s child protection summit, where the consideration will be on web pornography. New agreements to blacklist certain internet sites will be hailed as a breakthrough. They are not to be scorned: one of the most damaging factors of pornography is the exploitative relationships that it promotes. But what most youthful folks need to create the maturity to cope with sex and ultimately parenthood is the 1 thing this government appears reluctant to offer you: greater schooling about intercourse and relationships.

Age of consent: the politics of sex | Editorial

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

No 10 rejects call to lower age of consent

Professor John Ashton, president of the Faculty of Public Health. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

Downing Street and Nick Clegg have joined forces to reject a contact by a foremost public health official for the age of consent to be lowered to the age of 15 if the proposal wins public help.

A spokesman for the prime minister stated the present law was created to defend children, a see echoed by the deputy prime minister who rejected a “blanket reduction” in the age of consent.

No 10 and the deputy prime minister spoke out following the Sunday Instances reported that Professor John Ashton, president of the Faculty of Public Well being, referred to as for a decreasing in the age of consent to make it less complicated for 15-12 months-olds to look for contraception and other sexual well being guidance from the NHS. Official figures show that up to a third of youngsters have sex ahead of they attain sixteen, the official age of consent.

Ashton told the Sunday Occasions: “Due to the fact we are so baffled about this and we have stored the age of consent at 16, the 15-12 months-olds will not have clear routes to acquiring some support. My personal view is there is an argument for minimizing it to 15 but you can’t do it without the public supporting the idea and we want 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 actually, as a society, actively discourage sexual involvement underneath 15. By undertaking that, you would be in a position legitimately to organise providers to meet the need to have.”

Downing Street gave his proposal quick shrift. A spokesman advised the BBC: “We reject the phone to reduce the age of consent. Recent age is in location to safeguard young children and there are no plans to change it.”

The deputy prime minister echoed No 10. Asked on the Andrew Marr Show on BBC1 what he thought of Ashton’s call, Clegg stated: “I am not in favour of that. The age of consent has been a British law for generations in order to defend youngsters. This health skilled is proper in saying there is a issue – we have far as well high levels of teenage pregnancy.

“I am worried, like everybody is worried, about the sexualisation, the culture and the information so numerous young people are bombarded with. That is I am continually urging Michael Gove to update and modernise sex schooling in colleges which has not kept up with the net age.

“But do I think just a blanket reduction in the age of consent is the answer to this hard dilemma? No. So yes there is a issue. Yes we need to have to a debate. Yes we require to update intercourse schooling. But this is not the answer.”

The deputy prime minister utilized his appearance on the Andrew Marr Show to confirm that he is formally pressing George Osborne and David Cameron to raise the threshold for the individual tax allowance to £10,500 by the time of the following basic election. The Tories are expected to agree to the “worker’s bonus” which would exempt an additional .5m men and women from paying out cash flow tax and would save people an additional of £100. It is a single of the Liberal Democrats’ main signature policies. The Lib Dems say they have been the principal driving force behind raising the personalized tax allowance from £6,475 given that 2010.

Clegg said that Lib Dem support for raising the private allowance demonstrates why his party is rooted in the centre ground, in contrast to the Tories and Labour. He explained: “On long phrase fiscal policy it is as well crucial for our nation to have events lurching to the correct or the left. You seem to have this see from the right now that taxes must never ever go up and you should be shrinking the state to an ever smaller size in a somewhat ideological way. In the very same way the left are making a mistake in pondering you can repeat all the problems of the previous and borrow and invest more and a lot more and a lot more and bloating the state. I will not believe we must be ideological about this.”

No 10 rejects call to lower age of consent