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Child Rape is Legal in America
I recently read an article about an Idaho bill, led by Rep. Melissa Wintrow (D-Boise) that was killed in the House at the beginning of May. The bill would have made it illegal for children under age 16 in that state to marry without consent from the parents, the court and — wait for it — the child, before the marriage could take place. If a law has to stipulate that the child must give consent, I thought, does this imply that children in the 21st century do not have consent over whether or not to get married?
Apparently, it does. In Idaho, children (read: girls), on record as young as 13, can be married off to men much older than themselves with either the consent of their parents or the oversight of a judge. The judge’s involvement is supposed to protect them, but it often does not. Nor does it protect boys: because of Idaho’s statutory rape laws, an 18-year-old kid having sex with his 15-year-old girlfriend can be convicted of rape and sent to prison for up to 25 years. It doesn’t matter if they go to the same high school, have the same friends, hang out at the same parties. By law he’s an adult, and she’s a child. That makes him a rapist, unless they’re married.
Marriage may seem better than prison, though prison and marriage can feel like the same thing at that age. Add in a baby and the girl, at least, can forget college. Teen boys aren’t the worst thing young…
