a reply to:
JustJohnny
First we need to define "child" and maybe even the word molest before collecting data.
17 year old "girl" and 28 year old guy?
13 year old girl and 40 year old guy? (I think we can agree on this one that this is child-molestation.)
16 year old girl and 19 year old guy?
Consensual or non-consensual? Sex or fondling?
We have very murky laws here in Michigan.
Michigan: If a person is 16 or 17 it's ok to diddle them if it's a consensual thing and if you are not in a position of power, i.e. relative, coach,
teacher, employer, etc.
But it comes with a catch/risk. The minor doesn't have to be raped, just regret it later and report and the dude is doomed. Or worse, the parents
can file a charge on behalf of the happily consensual teen. Er may gerd! You're screwed!
Because it is so inherently risky, most guys just stick to the old 18 and older rule rather then end up on a list or getting the bubba in the butt in
prison.
I am 51 now, so to me anyone under 30 looks like a baby and is off limits, but when I was 25 yo I would take a willing 17 yo anytime without thinking
much about it. I mean, they were usually in the bars already because if you were a chick the bars would let you in that young here (in the 80s).
Now bars are all 21 and older. You might not even know she was 17 or 16 until the next day. How could you even tell?
In today's world, if I was 25, I would be far too paranoid of getting in serious trouble for diddling an otherwise mature woman, who for probably 4 or
more years was quite capable of conceiving a baby.
My point is, there is probably a whole range of punishments for a whole range of "crimes", some of which are questionable whether they should even be
a crime. I have always felt that there should be a 3 or 4 year age separation max rule that would take precedence over the hard 18 line.
Just my thoughts. I'm sure someone will jump down my throat but it is just an opinion based on my real life experiences in the 80s.