Empower The Little Children

After the row that erupted when a rapist was set free because a law was declared unconstitutional, the entire government of Ireland, from the law clerks on up, has been working around the clock to get some legislation in place to plug the hole. The first item on the agenda - what shall be the official age of consent for the wee little ones?

Who should decide such a weighty issue? Certainly, one must consult experts on child psychology and development, knowledgeable people who know what is best for the mental and physical health of our offspring. Constitutional lawyers, of course, must weigh in with their own particular slant on all things permissible under law, so that the new law does not get tossed out like the old one. All those involved in the child protection game will be called in to offer their perspective, and they can hash things out with the lawyers to put everything in order.

And then who do you talk to? In Ireland, you would of course talk to the children and ask them if they would like to have sex at the age of 14, or maybe 12, or should it be 16. Boys and girls both have to be asked, of course, because the EU insists that all be treated equally. As things stand now, girls under the age of 17 can't be prosecuted for having sex because then everyone would say that Ireland was criminalizing teen pregnancy, and after the whole Magdalene Laundry issue, well, no one wants to go back there again.

In a rush to cobble together a bit of legislation, the Government left the age of consent as is, and so, a boy of 17 could be sent to jail but the girl would most likely be sent home to Mammy. And so, everyone wants to empower the children and ask them how to best resolve the issue of how old is old enough to begin having sex.

They're thinking of starting out with a group of 14 - 18 year olds, and possibly head down to the 12's. Minister for Children Brian Lenihan believes "it is important that their voice is heard, and that they have a meaningful input into this national debate."

Meaningful, yes, indeed. How many fourteen year old boys would think that the age of consent should be lowered to, oh, say, about fourteen? And how many fourteen year old girls will complain about feeling forced to have sex? For this, they need a Government study.

So much for the silly, old fashioned notion that parents should be in charge. I mean, there's no room in the debate for the fathers of fourteen-year-old girls, is there? Anyone care to empower them to throttle the bastard who had his way with their little girl? That's become a nonsense in these modern times. Let the wee ones have their say and have their way. And then we can have a government study about the spoiled behavior of the younger generation, armed to the teeth with all their empowerment, and in more danger than ever.