Age Of Consent

[daffy654]

After a conversation with my pregnant 18 year old daughter about the age of consent I wondered what other peoples views are. If you are legally allowed to have sex at age 16 here in the UK,why are you not allowed to buy cigarettes(as of today) or alcohol until age 18? Surely if you are not responsible enough to smoke or drink then you aren't responsible enough to have a baby.

[Ethel]

Sex is a natural act that hopefully does no harm.

Smoking definitely isn't and drinking alcohol can cause lasting damage very quickly in a young adult.

[China Doll]

I think it's also one of those things that you can't really stop people doing anyway.

People still have sex under the age of 16. I don't see how making it 18 would make any difference really.

[oldgrape]

you also aren't allowed to watch certain films i.e porns
so you can have sex but can't watch it hum makes sense not

[B00]

I'm the same boat as you daffy, my daugter's 19 and ruddy pregnant with twins.

Makes you feel old doesn't it?

But yes, got to agree with Ethel, it's just regrettable that sometimes sex at their age does come with consequences!!!

[Octavius]

Alcohol and Cigraettes contain drugs or chemicals which are harmful to health.

[redcrx]

as China says, changing the age of consent to 18 probably wouldnt make a difference to some teenagers. Those that decide to have sex at 15 arent going to be stopped. And how many responsible teenagers wait until they are a lot older than 16 before having sex.

I cant say that i even thought on my 16th birthday "wayhay i can now go and have sex!"

[Octavius]

Anyway, age laws in regard to alcohol and cigarettes are aimed to prosecute the supplier, not the under-aged person.

[Skreecheeboy]

Being a smoker, I would be extremly p1ssed off with the government today if I was 17.

[bill preston]

i would of thought they have raised the legal age because now 16 yr olds who look 18 can get fags where as the 14 yr olds who look 16 cant?

[eyeshade]

Skreech, surely it is yourself you should be annoyed with for having the fifthy habit in the first place?

[Louisa 69]

Having a baby at 16 is a huge resposibility, your responsible for another life yet you can't go and buy a bottle of wine. Also you can have a 17 year old soldier in Iraq putting his life on the line every day and yet the very government that sent him there won't allow him to have a pint or a fag cos it's bad for his health.

[Whickerman]

it's a good point. Let's raise the age of consent for sex to 18.

[Octavius]

It is a moot point, but the the minimum age of soldiers serving in Iraq is 18. This is in line with a Chief of the General Staff directive that states under 18 years old, soldiers will not serve on any operations outside the UK except where the operation is of a purely humanitarian nature, and where no hostile forces are involved.