The Sex Law Debate Descends into New Level of Futility.
national |
rights, freedoms and repression |
news report 
Tuesday June 20, 2006 20:02
by Chris Murray - The Unmanageables
Wherein Minister of Children Admits he is Bound.
Today Conor Lenihan , Minister of Children , who was vaguely
absent , the weeks of the constitutional crisis provoked by the release of Mr A by Ms Justice Mary Laffoy admitted to reporters
that he would listen to young people regarding the age of consent.
This was followed by a worthy statement, wherein he said that
though he would listen, the final decision on age of consent
rested with the deputies( one presumes in the Dail) and not with
the views of the people they hope to question on their sexual habits.
The expression used was not " bound" by, but seeking your opinion.
Aside from the puerility of the statement and it's subtle S+ M undertones, the question still remains, why the government
would be interested in young people because they do
not have the vote.
The sex-law fiasco began with the release of A, followed by
the debate on emergency legislation, Mr Mc Dowell failed
to address the issue of statutory rape, retaining the "Honest
belief" defence and managed a new insertion:
The Absurdity of section 5:
This means that a man can be criminalised for getting his
girlfriend pregnant, even if she consented.
A woman can be criminalised for all sex acts except for
full penetrative sex.
No distinction was made between consenting teenagers and
child rape, with the defence of honest belief. Mr A, by the
way admitted he knew the girl's age.
The British are currently rushing through sex-law legislation
in the shadow of a paedophile case.
Links to the story;
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/76272
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/76338
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/76365
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/76381
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/76407
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/76413
Please be wary of clipboards and rulers in the run-up
to what promises to be an interesting survey. If you get
asked send a copy to Indymedia.
Comments (2 of 2)
Jump To Comment: 1 2Announcements made today indicate that workshops on the consent issue
and on the sexual activity of 15-18 year olds will begin next week.
The information will be presumably fed to the all-party Oireachtas
committee on StatutoryRape laws, which were brought in as emergency
legislation after the 'CC' and 'A' cases.
In a press release related to the announcement of the workshops
Mr Lenihan stated that though youngsters would be consulted on these issues
that the final decision on the age of consent rested with the 'deputies'.
Sinn Fein and the Green Party are 'broadly welcoming' of the consent recommendations
published today- the age of consent is recommended to be 16.
The Rape Crisis centre is not welcoming.
They say that the issue of the age lowering is not backed up by protective frameworks
such as compulsory sex education- so kids have an awareness of what they are
agreeing to- fair point.
The massive arguments- going back ten years on the compulsory sex education and the
'Stay safe ' programme was resisted by Catholic parents in State schools- on the basis
of private morality and right to choose when and how to 'educate' a child about the whole
area of sex.
( Interference from 'outside' was not welcomed by the constituent parental lobby, who
want to bring up their kids as they choose)- forgetting, that kids will find out anyway
and of course that the question of 'parental' morality is entirely separate to individuation...
So the catholic school boards went along with the parent lobby.
The consent issue is wider than this.
Ciaran Cuffe is 'happy' that experimenting kids will not be criminalised-
they will however be subject to socialisation skills/counselling/probation if they
are 'caught'
The whole issue was to do with the laffoy judgement.
The waters were muddied by Minister Mc Dowell and the section5 issue
(Unconstitutonal).
This emanated from the statutory rape laws.
Which were an off-shoot of the causality of the last general election. (see links above).
The upcoming Referendum on the rights of the child- seeks to 'create a closer relationship
between the child, the family and the State'.
The State is interfering in the privacy of the child by plastering the sex issue all over
the houses of the Oireachtas.(and in legislations)
The DPP is still pressing sexual assault charges on the men who sexually assaulted kids.
The 'honest mistake' mechanism of defence is retained.
The question is how did the State become so involved in the privacy of the person
and their right to integrity ?
These are only committee recommendations-
*The wider issues are the Church /State indemnity fund.
*The PD split over the Woods deal.
*The State's refusal to create a separation between the legislature and the church.
Kids are being criminalised to offer Mr Mc Dowell an opt-out on the rushed legislation
and Bertie an opt-out on the Woods deal.
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