What's the difference between being a "minor" and age of consent laws?

[Fountain79]

A person who is under 18 is considered a minor but in some states the age of consent can be as low as 13. What exactly is the difference?

[MrCoffee]

1. Aren't there already about 90 flamewars going on already?

Do we really need another one?

[Fountain79]

2. Sorry...I am not trying to start a flamewar...

I am just confused as to how the two work.

[LostinVA]

17. A minor is a minor if there is more than a certain age difference

This is how most states do it... "Romeo and Juliet laws." Say, a 16-year-old dating a 19-year-old. However, the younger one has to be over the age of consent. If they are under it, it's against the law.

[Cronus Protagonist]

3. That seems like an innocent question

Why so hostile? I don't understand it either. If someone's under 18 but over the "age of consent", what are they? I'd like to know as well.

[MrCoffee]

7. Not hostility, exasperation.

There are tons of threads concerning this topic in GD and GD Politics.

Personally, I don't give a shit if he's gay, straight, or a hermaphrodite, or if he bangs goats, for that matter. Once the victim is getting the proper care, it's time to use this to win a friggin election. But it seems like we'd rather cut our noses off in spite of our faces (again).

Just frustrated that we can't get out of our own way for five lousy weeks to get the election behind us.

And no, I'm not equating being gay with banging goats.

[Swamp Rat]

12. "If someone's under 18 but over the "age of consent", what are they?"

Fair game.

[Jacobin]

4. Well, for instance in my state

The age of majority is 18.

But you can be convicted of statutory rape if you have sex with a consenting youth under 17, if you are more than two years older than that person.

Varies by state.

Foley's law made his conduct criminal

[hughee99]

8. But Foley's law is from 2006

and the emails IIRC are several years old.

[Jacobin]

14. I was talking about state law

Foley's law is federal law.

I haven't read it, so I can't help

[hughee99]

15. "Foley's law made his conduct criminal"

This is why I though you were talking about Foley's law, here. Sorry for the confusion.

[Avalux]

5. You know what it is to me? Has nothing to do with age.

A 52 year old Republican Congressman uses his power and position to seduce high school boys who are awestruck to be in his presence. Clearly these boys are minors and are at a disadvantage. The difference in age is purely subjective.

[SoCalDem]

6. Here's a scenario

a neighborhood kid of say... 20 , dates a 16 yr old girl/boy.. fun ensues... "consent" can protect the older one from being charged with a crime..

BUT

that 16 year old kid could not sign a legal contract, still needs Mom's signature on a field trip consent form, and the parents are legally responsible for her/him..

Kids usually do not ask permission to have sex..they just do it and whatever consequences there are, are dealt with later..

disclaimer.. the same 20 year old FORCES sex on the 1 year old..that's a whole other issue

[zreosumgame]

9. from what little I understand of the very confused and contradictory sex

laws in the different states, there is being a 'minor' in regards to signing contracts and such, and giving consent to sex. In most case if you are 20 or so and have sex with a 13-17 year old (different states different ages) as long as nobody complains, no problem, if a parent does complain it is 'statutory rape', and in some states it does not take a complaint. No, none of it really makes much sense and the safest thing is for all women over 21 to have sex with 52 year old slightly overweight white guy named Tony who live in California. just send an e-mail ladies :)

[BuyingThyme]

10. In Foley's case, they're talking about MINERS.

He's never even met a miner.

[LiberalArkie]

11. Definition from Wiki

In law, a person who is not yet a legal adult is known as a minor (known in some places as an infant or juvenile). For example, in many countries a person under the age of 18 is a minor. Most countries give additional legal protection to minors, and all countries except the United States and Somalia have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minor_(law)

[sandnsea]

13. Different ages for different laws

Even the pornography and cybersex laws have different ages depending on the law. Like 13 is the age for signing up for some online communities. 16 is the age for some other things, 18 for transmitting any pornography, for instance. That's federal, then the states all have their own ages. Like you can drink at 19 in some states and it's 21 in others.

Mark Foley is saying he never had sex with a minor, he probably is considering physical sex and that they were all over 18.

[Evergreen Emerald]

16. In WA a minor is under the age of 18 years

The age of consent is the age where having sex with that person is not a crime.

In WA: if an adult has sex with a person at least 14 years of age but under 16 years of age and there is 48 months difference in age between them, it is rape of a child in the third degree--a felony. Consent is not a defense because under 16 years of age, the child is deemed too young to consent.

If an adult takes pictures of a minor (under the age of 18) engaged in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of sexual stimulation--it is a felony. Also: possessing depictions of minors engaged in sexually explict conduct(under 18) is a felony. Consent is not a defense to these crimes.


So, the age of consent is different for different crimes. But, a minor is always defined as under 18 years.