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Originally Posted by Lebell
Whether or not it 'worked' we cannot know. It certainly was their paradigm, but it is not ours.
My concern starts with the fact that she was the girl's teacher two years previous (when she was only 11-12), but doesn't end there. No, it rests with the age of the girl combined with the age difference. I grant that there are no easy formulas to apply, but I don't think that anyone would argue that 14 year olds make reasoned, choices. Combined with an adult who doesn't have the age to excuse her, this is a bad situation.
Consider this, if it was really true love, why couldn't they have waited until she was 17 or 18 and they could at least do what they wanted to legally?
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lebell,
while I see where you're coming from, I would appreciate it if you would offer your thoughts in light of the following:
In my first post to mephisto, I allowed that an abuse of trust or power may be going on--so I don't disagree that the power differential ought to be examined.
But if it was true love, they could have also moved to Ohio or Missouri. There, sex with 14 year olds is legal.
(In at least one state, marriage to 13 year olds is legal with parental consent--I don't know what that translates into real world practice in the bedroom or courts, however).
This fact that their behavior is legal in other parts of our own country is part of the reasoning that was underpinning my reluctance to classify this as a closed-case of exploitation due to the age factor.
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So is the response to throw up our arms and repeal statutory rape/consent laws?
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I agree that we shouldn't remove protections of minors wholesale since exploitation does occur, but perhaps we can modify them to allow for a more fair allowance of the wishes of the minors who can demonstrate that they are not being exploited.