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Equality Minister Marlène Schiappa welcomed the move, which follows advice from doctors and legal experts.
Currently, prosecutors must prove sex with someone under 15 was forced in order to bring rape charges.
The change comes amid uproar over two recent cases of men accused of having sex with 11-year-old girls.
Under the existing legislation, if there is no violence or coercion proved, offenders may only be charged with sexual abuse of a minor and not rape. This has a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of €75,000 (£66,000; $87,000).
I ask from parents since they have first-hand experience with parenting this age and am curious from a parents perspective how they feel about this. I know this is France but still seems wrong to me, though I am not a parent.
I ask from parents since they have first-hand experience with parenting this age and am curious from a parents perspective how they feel about this. I know this is France but still seems wrong to me, though I am not a parent.
I've lived in the US and Denmark (where the age of consent is 15). As a parent, I had no serious problems with the age of consent laws in the states where my first wife and I raised my children. It really wasn't an issue. We trusted their judgement.
As for the age of consent in Denmark. It is right for the culture. Danish parents are, for the most part, very open about sex and don't place much moral emphasis on it. It's generally viewed as an activity for having fun at home or on a date. Psychologically, the majority of kids are ready at that age in Denmark to have sex with or without a romantic attachment and their parents accept that.
My kids are 17 and almost 15. Do I want them having sex? No. Are they physically and emotionally able to handle it? Yes. Would I try to control whether they had sex at this age? For my 17 year old, no. For my 15 year old, maybe. I’m fine with the law being 15. As a parent, I could try to make my own rules... but let’s face it, teens who want to have sex will have sex. The behavior doesn’t need to be criminalized (unless it’s something criminal, which two teens having sex is not).
I've never understood why parents are so horrified when their teenagers have sex, or why, as a society, we treat teenagers like small children. I also think it's creepy to impose "rules" on your teenagers' sex lives. It's their body, not yours. I think that if we stop conflating sex and morality, we will all be much healthier.
The age of consent should be somewhere in the early teens. Teens are fully developed sexual beings, not children, and having consensual sex with a teenager is not rape.
Not a parent so no pony in this race... but isn't the consent legality more to criminalize adult predators than to punish teens? The "morality" would be to keep 20/30/40/etc.. something deviants from using and abusing teens who aren't wise to the depravity and tricks of predators.
I've never understood why parents are so horrified when their teenagers have sex, or why, as a society, we treat teenagers like small children. I also think it's creepy to impose "rules" on your teenagers' sex lives. It's their body, not yours. I think that if we stop conflating sex and morality, we will all be much healthier.
The age of consent should be somewhere in the early teens. Teens are fully developed sexual beings, not children, and having consensual sex with a teenager is not rape.
Early teens? I think parents are more concerned than horrified. Risk of pregnancy is high with teens not being consistent with birth control usage. No one wants a pregnant 13 year old daughter or a 13 year old son responsible for a pregnancy. The consequences are too high.
As ATOW indicated though, a teen that wants to have sex will have sex regardless. Most parents hope it will be later rather than earlier though so that they are more emotionally prepared as well as responsible for the possible consequences and better at decision making.
Not a parent so no pony in this race... but isn't the consent legality more to criminalize adult predators than to punish teens? The "morality" would be to keep 20/30/40/etc.. something deviants from using and abusing teens who aren't wise to the depravity and tricks of predators.
Teenagers are going to have sex regardless of the laws. Some teenage girls pursue guys in their early 20's because they "like older guys." I don't see where criminalizing people is going to change it in any way.....it hasn't worked so far and never will. This is more of a parenting issue rather than criminal. If you don't allow your teenage daughter to be out gallivanting around at night and hanging out with older guys and drinking and all those sorts of things, most of these things never happen because the opportunity isn't there. Like the saying goes, "The only things open after midnight are legs and the ER."
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