See, therein lies the problem, Brush... religion wants to make it all NOT our business, but theirs. And it's coming in the form of legislation pushed by politicians with specific religious beliefs... beliefs that are not mine, and not many others. What we do with our bodies doesn't, and shouldn't, concern other people who are not personally involved. But that's not the way patriarchal theocracy wants it to work. They want control over what we do, how we do it, when we do it, where we do it, why we do it, and with whom we do it.
Sex and procreation are two separate items religion tries very hard to tie into one knot, and that's not the way it works. While one doesn't occur without the other, the twain can be separated, and enjoyed between consenting adults.
Lily, in some states, the age of consent is still lower than one would think constitutes adulthood, but I do believe in some states, people can get married, which would naturally include sex, at very young ages...
From Wiki: "Most states, however, allow minors below 18 to marry (generally they have to be at least 16 but sometimes lower) with parental and/or judicial consent, and some states allow female minors below 18 to marry without parental or judicial consent if she is pregnant."
In some cases, I'm seeing ages 14 and thereabouts, some states requiring parental consent, others not.
And I won't even mention customs from other countries, some of which could be categorized as pedophilia as far as I'm concerned... though, certain organizations are trying to change these customs.
The problem is, we can't keep our youth locked in boxes until they reach the age WE would consider appropriate to begin a personal sex life, and we can't force them to remain virginal until marriage, so... quite a few very young teens are out there, having sex, some protected and some not, and many parents don't even know it's happening to their own kids... until the day they walk in and announce they're pregnant, or need help with STD's.
We want to HOPE that our kids are smart enough to make prudent choices, but some aren't... and some are SO sheltered and uneducated that they don't know how to handle sexual situations when they arise, no pun intended. This is precisely why I keep repeating that we need early, in-depth sex education for our youth... mainly for their own protection.
The less taboo a subject, the less interested in experimenting. That's just the way it is. The idea that if we teach our kids about sex in an educational manner when they're young, they're all going to rush out and have sex is simply preposterous. The more kids know, the less inclined they are to make poor choices. And, the more apt to protect themselves they will be when they ARE ready.
Personally, and speaking as a parent, I'm less concerned with when my teens begin having sex, and more concerned that they are educated enough to protect themselves from the dangers and consequences... some of which can drastically change, or even end, lives.
But that's not really the issue at hand... the issue is that females are being, once again, stomped under the boot heels of males and religion... systematically having our choices and freedoms removed.
Bottom line is... it's my body, and I'll be the one to decide what happens to it. Religious notions of other people do not fit into the scenario whatsoever.
