From: ECL4JN2@MVS.OAC.UCLA.EDU (Jack Newsbaum)
Newsgroups: alt.activism,alt.individualism,talk.politics.misc
Subject: Re: Age of Consent
Date: 14 Aug 92 03:09:20 GMT

In article <1992Aug12.140306.6303@fig.citib.com>, on 12 Aug 1992 14:03:06 GMT,
glp@fig.citib.com (Greg Parkinson) writes:

>
>
>In article <19920811111211ECL4JN2@MVS.OAC.UCLA.EDU>, ECL4JN2@MVS.OAC.UCLA.EDU (Jack Newsbaum) writes:
>|> In article <1992Aug10.151106.13423@fig.citib.com>, on 10 Aug 1992 15:11:06 GMT,
>|> glp@fig.citib.com (Greg Parkinson) writes:
>|>
>|> >
>|> >
>|> >In article <archer.313@utkux1.utk.edu>, archer@utkux1.utk.edu (T. Archer) writes:
>|> >
>|> >|> There are no rights in conflict here.  Children are not capable of consent.
>|> >|> Pedophelia is an act of coercion, and is not supported under libertarian
>|> >|> philosophy.
>|> >
>|> >How do libertarians define "child"?
>|> >
>      [..........]
>|>
>|> # Children who have not reached maturity need guardians, and that
>|> guardianship normally belongs to the parents, and never the state.
>
>Aha!  Define "maturity".
>
The age where the child assumes full responsibility for his needs, and
leaves the guardianship of his parents or other adults. This may be
either by his own declaration of emancipation, or it may be by virtue
of his parents or other guardians having relinquished responsibility
for the child's guardianship. As I see it, this need not be tied down
to any specific chronological age.

>|> # Oppose legally created or sanctioned discrimination or criminal
>|> categories against or in favor of children, such as child labor laws,
>|> compulsory education, smoking, alcoholic beverage restrictions, and
>|> curfew laws.
>
>Including age of consent laws?
>
I find no specific reference anywhere in the Libertarian platform to
age of consent laws.

>|> # Children always have the right to declare themselves emancipated,
>|> ending the dependency on their parents or other guardians, and assuming
>|> to themselves all the responsibilities of adulthood.
>
>So an emancipated "child" could choose to have a sexual
>relationship with an adult?
>
Any child who has moved out of his parents' home, and assumed total
responsibility for his life's needs is, in my opinion, old enough to
be considered a legal adult and to make decisions about sexual
relationships for himself.

>This stuff is not far off of what NAMBLA proposes.  Perhaps
>Cr*m*r will now start choose to rave about how libertarians
>advocate child molestation?
>
I really have no idea about what NAMBLA advocates with respect to
age of consent laws. I doubt that they base their criteria upon
whom it is permissible to have sex with upon self-sufficiency
of children as the views that I've outlined.

>Ooops, sorry, they'd have to be *gay* libertarians to catch
>his interest.
>
I have no more reason to believe that gay libertarians are any more
likely to be attracted to young boys than are gays of any other
political persuasion. If anything, I would suppose them less likely
to engage in sexual abuse because of their principled position in
support of individual rights.

>Thanks for the info.
>
>--
>Greg Parkinson                  Phone: 212-657-7814  Fax: 212-825-8607
>Citibank,111 Wall Street        E-Mail: glp@fig.citib.com
>New York, New York  10043
>The opinions expressed are my own and not those of the big 'ol bank.
>
    ====Jack====
Newsgroups: alt.activism