Tuesday 12 April 2011

16 or 18?

  The question is being asked if the Gibraltar Women's Association read and digested the ruling on the age of consent by the Chief Justice before issuing a press release?
  They seem to be confused in their press release, as if the judge had set about determining that 16 was the age of consent.
  The ruling  by the judge said: I have no hesitation in concluding that the provisions which establish a differential between the ages of consent and criminalise homosexual anal sex involving someone aged between 16 and 18 breaches both sections 7 and 14 of the Constitution.
  He added that "It is however not for this court to take a view as to what the age of consent in Gibraltar should be, that is a matter which can only be for the legislature to determine."
  In other words, it is up to Parliament to set the age at 16 or 18 - or whatever!
  Whether a referendum is now held, as the GWA suggests,
is a perfectly legitimate way forward.
  But it has to be asked if the public is now going to get involved in such a spectacle or is it that our legislators cannot take a decision themselves?
  
 
 

3 comments:

  1. What is the GWA's and the Envangelical Alliance's issue with this?

    Is it because they have visions of middle-aged gay men seducing sixteen year old boys? If so they have a far more active imagination than I have.

    Presumably they don't have similar concerns about middle-aged heterosexual men preying on girls of the same age? I would call that bigoted.

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  2. I think some people are living in prehistoric times. That includes parents - don't they know what their young offsprings get up to these days?
    It could be a question of some parents turning a blind eye, looking the other way, and then clamouring against any notion of sweet sixteen turning sour.
    Can't some people come clean about this whole issue?

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  3. In Gib we like to appear outwardly puritan, so I would not be surprised if a referendum were held that most would vote for the 18 years as age of consent. Puritan or not, that's what I would go for.
    But I remember the confusion caused by the Government when it tried to hange the age of consent in respect of drinking. Does anyone remember where it all ended?
    And what about the whiter-than-white campaigns about the financial services - until we ended up having to get rid of the tax-free offshore companies, not because we wanted to, but because we were told to.
    What now with the new age of consent in sex?

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