Changes Proposed to Laws in Ireland

Ireland may lower the age of consent, but bring the sentencing against women who commit “incest” up to the level that applies to men. I wish “incest” would be defined in the article, even if not in the law. As I have consitently maintained, there is a big difference between child abuse and sex between consenting adults.

THE GOVERNMENT will publish new proposals to lower the age of consent to 16 years, down from the current age of 17, early in the new year.

I neither support nor oppose this. Generally, I support the age of consent being no higher than 18. I do not think lowering the age of consent under 16 is a good idea. I also don’t think teenagers who are close in age to one another should be prosecuted for consensual sex.

It also proposes raising the maximum sentence for women who commit incest to life, up from the current seven-year maximum sentence, which was recently imposed on a mother of six.

The sentencing standards for convictions of child molestation or child rape or statutory rape should be the same regardless of genders. Consensual sex between adults should not be a crime.

The Incest News blog also picked up this story.