Politics
Thursday June 22, 2006
Bill to Raise Age of Consent for Sex from 14 to 16 Introduced, Gay Activists Opposed
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
By Gudrun Schultz
OTTAWA, Ontario, June 22, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Conservative Government introduced a bill today that would raise the age of sexual consent in Canada to age 16 from age 14, thereby following through on a pledge to address what many child advocates feel is a dangerous laxity in the law.
The bill will allow law-enforcement workers to better protect young teenagers from adult sexual predators, particularly on the Internet. The proposed legislation includes close-in-age exceptions to prevent the prosecution of teenagers who are in sexual relationships with each other. The age gap must be no more than five years, which would still allow a 15-year-old to have sex with an adult of 20, or a 14-year-old to have sex with someone who is 19.
Despite the efforts to ensure the bill won’t criminalize teenage sexual relationships, several national groups are opposing any change to the age of consent laws, including Equality for Gays and Lesbians Everywhere and the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health, formerly Planned Parenthood.
Together with the Canadian AIDS Society and Justice for Children and Youth, the groups have complained there is no need to introduce a new law, since the former Liberal government passed legislation making it illegal for an adult in a position of trust or authority to have sex with a young person under age 18.
The liberal legislation has virtually no impact on the problem of Internet luring of young people, however, and offers no protection to teenagers who have been influenced by an adult predator into engaging in a sexual relationship.
The groups have accused the government of trying to legislate morality, and say there is no good reason for changing the law, which dates back to 1892.
“I think so much depends on the circumstances and the level of maturity,” said Linda Capperauld, executive director of the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health (Planned Parenthood), speaking to CanWest.
The bill will not be studied until the House of Commons resumes sessions in the fall.
See related LifeSiteNews coverage:
Canadian Age of Consent Law Would Still Permit Sex Between 20 Yr. Old Male and 15 Yr. Old Female
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jun/06060106.html
Conservative Government Will Raise Age of Sexual Consent
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/feb/06020803.html
Gay Activists Ask Canada to Lower Age of Consent for Anal Sex, National Post Agrees
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/feb/06021403.html
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- BREAKING: US Congress Passes Health Care Reform Bill 220 to 215
- Stupak Amendment to Health Care Bill Passes 240 - 194 Saturday Evening
- Major Health Care Development - Pro-Life Stupak Amendment Vote OK'd for Today
- NY Times: Dems Banking on Later Squeezing Pro-Life Language Out of Bill in Committee
- USCCB Spokesman: "Definitely Not True" that Bishops Support Bill As it Stands
- TIME Got it Wrong - Prof. George Opposed Grandiose Kennedy Funeral
- USCCB Condemnation Tears Facade off "Phony" Abortion Compromise for Health Bill
- Health Care Bill Includes Monthly Abortion Premium: House Minority Leader Boehner
- TIME Article Setting Burke Against O'Malley Called "Tactical strike" on Behalf of Catholic Left
- Dirty Fighting on Abortion Funding: Word-Games and Health-Care Theatrics Boggle the Mind
- Commentary on November 6 News
- Note to LifeSiteNews Subscribers with Rogers email addresses
- New York Gov. Declares Nov. 10 Extraordinary Legislative Session for Same-Sex "Marriage"
- Washington's Pro-Family Amendment Effort Defeated - R-71 Almost Certain to Pass
- Vote Pushed Back on Canadian Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Bill to Dec. 2
- Elderly U.K. Couple in Good Health Commit Suicide, Complain of Assisted Suicide Law
- Texas Late-Term Abortionist and Baptist Minister Admits: "Am I killing? Yes, I am"
- New Evidence Contradicts CCHD's Findings on Accused Pro-Abortion Partner
- Quebec Priest Denies Possibility of Sexual Reorientation Therapy on TV
- New Hampshire Same-Sex "Marriage" Law in Crosshairs after Maine's Law Crumbles
- Brooklyn Bishop Criticized for Recorded Message Praising Pro-Abortion Politician
- First Group of "Traditionalist" Anglicans in Britain Votes to Enter Catholic Church
Most Read this Week
- Planned Parenthood Director Resigns after Watching Ultrasound of Abortion Procedure
- Nun Defiant Following Rebuke, but Stops Abortion Escorting
- Breaking: Dominican Community Apologizes for Nun Caught Acting as Abortion Escort
- Over 200 Christendom College Students Protest Abortion at Planned Parenthood Clinic
- TIME Article Setting Burke Against O'Malley Called "Tactical strike" on Behalf of Catholics Left
- Newly Identified Corporate Supporters of Planned Parenthood Named
- Scottish Gay Rights Activists Found Guilty of Pedophilia Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
- US Congress Passes Health Care Reform Bill 218 to 215
- Major Health Care Bill Development - Stupak Hyde Amendment Vote OK'd
- Health Care Bill Includes Monthly Abortion Premium: House Minority Leader Boehner
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.