Statutory Rape Essay, Research Paper
In the face of unjust laws, I believe that civil disobedience is mandatory. I have a scenario to defend my argument. I introduce to you Stan Lippy. Stan is a 19 year old student at Louisiana State University and he loves his girlfriend. Unfortunately, she is a 17 year old high school student with over-protective parents. Stan and Lacey s relationship made two years this past Valentine s Day. Although Stan is at college, and Lacey is still attending high school, their relationship is strong. They plan on getting married sometime in the future. Her parents don t agree with the two-year age difference, and they would like for her to find a boy her age. Stan and Lacey have been dealing with this problem ever since Stan turned 18. They ve been going behind Lacey s parents back for a year now, but Stan feels that he should be able to see Lacey because they are mature people and in love even though Lacey is not legally of age yet. After hiding his feelings for so long, he wants to confront the parents and talk about the relationship. After failing in his attempt to convince her parents that this law was unjust, Stan realizes that he must stand up for what he believes in and deliberately break the law. It is unfair that two people must wait until one is of legal age to live their life the way they wish. Stan feels that the statutory rape laws are unjust.
In a situation like this, I agree with my friend Stan that statutory rape laws are unjust. I feel that they are both in control of their emotions and the law shouldn t stand in the way of that. Lacey is legally allowed to drive, drop out of school, and move out on her own, yet she is not allowed to have sexual relations with a man who is only 2 years older than her. It is unfair that somebody decided to pass this law and prevent them from having a mature relationship. I am not saying a 19 year old should be able to have a sexual relationship with 14 year old, but I do believe that someone who has been in a long term relationship like that should not have to stop seeing each other just because one becomes a year older. What was the difference between them dating at 17 and 15 and them dating now that they have become two years older and wiser?
I can see from the parent s point of view that they want to protect their daughter from what they consider a corrupting influence. A 19 year old has the ability to influence a 17 year old in ways that frighten parents. A 19 year old has easier access to alcohol. They can get in to clubs and might be able to sneak in their younger and more impressionable friends. A 19 year old can also buy tobacco products. Most parents would not like their children near things like this. The parents should not worry about this because they should not let authority get in the way of their child s happiness. In the case of statutory rape, I stand behind Stan in that breaking this unjust law is mandatory.
The love between these two people is strong enough to risk jail time and to prove that no law should prevent two people from being in love.