What is the correct age for sexual and marital consent for a girl?

[Reverend Rick]

Well, what's the correct age for a guy to go out courting a girl for marriage?

Whe he is able to provide for his family.

 

[Marble]

In my country it is illegal to have sex with a girl/boy younger than 14 years.
On tv I see girls aged 14, who got pregnant by their boyfriends (same age) and have decided to get the child and rise it (with help of their mothers).
So I would say: 14 years is age of consent and minimal age for motherhood.
But I also would say it is better when a woman gets her first child in her 20th, when she has some life-experience.
As for having sex the first time, I would say 16-18 years is better, 14 years seems too young (but I know it happens).

 

[Sunstone]

Well, what's the correct age for a guy to go out courting a girl for marriage?

He should first be of the age of reason -- which for an American, is around age 40 or so.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

He should first be of the age of reason -- which for an American, is around age 40 or so.

What's your excuse then?

 

[Foxfire]

Why do we feel the need to ask these questions? I always wonder that perhaps half of the world's problems are due to the fact that we ask the wrong questions to begin with and maybe sometimes, the answers are where we need to start.

 

[Foxfire]

In another thread concerning Muhammad the subject of consent was brought up and I thought, without specifically attacking or arguing over this religious figure we could discuss the idea of consent. Let me start by saying that there are cultural variables to consider when discussing the issue of consent. For some cultures it is when the girl starts menstrual cycle (well for most cultures) but I also understand that there are some that may see the physical development of young girls bodies as indication of transitioning to womanhood.

I argue that a young girls menstrual cycle is no psychological indication that she is prepared. Simply because a young girls body tells her she is able to have children doesn't.mean she is ready. After all I've seen as young as 11 start their period yet their mindset is more often comparable to a grad school child. I know times have changed and yes back in the days older men were with very young children and for some reason we seem to attack a specific religion.

For example Mary the mother of Jesus was said to be 14 at the time of conception. Yet religions of Mary show her as an older woman why is that? Mary wasn't a woman by modern standards yet apparently had the maturity of an older woman since, she took on the divine task of giving birth to Jesus. But I am nonetheless curious what others think.

Because a female can start ovulating you conjecture that she's ready to consent to marriage? A male gets his first erection - when? Is he then ready for sexual consent? What is this really all about anyway? And if this has to do with religious writings then I' m gearing up for the claws. Look out!

And cultural rules? Let me at 'em! I don't give a rat's *** for someone's culture when it comes to child abuse. No respect warranted, none given.

:wolverine::fight:

 

[Vendetta]

Why do we feel the need to ask these questions? I always wonder that perhaps half of the world's problems are due to the fact that we ask the wrong questions to begin with and maybe sometimes, the answers are where we need to start.

Hmmmm

 

[Vendetta]

Since age is arbitray how about I share an ER story:

A young girl whom I counseled some time ago came into the emergency room complaining of provide vaginal bleeding. After being examined in trusts it came to our attention that she had sexual intercourse (prior to coming in). Because she was underaged we had to contact her parents (although she was deathly afraid of them knowing the true age of her boyfriend) which would cause more issue. The ER physician so determined that there was significant damage in the vaginal canal. Not only was the hymen destroyed her cervix was damage. The boy she was with was 17 and she 14 but he was so "well endowed" that his penis damage her cervix and now she will have fertility problems. So while we think age is arbitrary in marriage let us reconsider age of sexual consent.

 

[HonestJoe]

So while we think age is arbitrary in marriage let us reconsider age of sexual consent.

Wouldn't the girl in your example already be below the age of consent (depending where you were)? It seems to me that the problem there was a lack of knowledge and understanding (and possibly a lack of care on the part of her boyfriend) rather than an issue of age of consent.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Wouldn't the girl in your example already be below the age of consent (depending where you were)? It seems to me that the problem there was a lack of knowledge and understanding (and possibly a lack of care on the part of her boyfriend) rather than an issue of age of consent.

Understanding is a defining quality of consent.

 

[Vendetta]

Wouldn't the girl in your example already be below the age of consent (depending where you were)? It seems to me that the problem there was a lack of knowledge and understanding (and possibly a lack of care on the part of her boyfriend) rather than an issue of age of consent.

Well she did consent. There was no forceful decision she made the choice. Yes she was underage by law but so was he.

 

[Rakhel]

I remember reading a story out of Missouri a couple of years ago about a mother who had her daughter's boyfriend arrested because her girl got pregnant. He was 17, she was 16. The problem came in in that Missouri's age of consent was apparently 16.