Age gaps walk a rather fine line when it comes to acceptability. The line gets even finer in regards to senior year. That is where the Romeo and Juliet law comes into play. The Romeo and Juliet law pertains to the level of consent minors, ages fifteen to nineteen, in sexual relationships have with adults ages eighteen and older. The law varies depending on the state and the set age of consent, which tends to be between the ages of sixteen and eighteen. Minors, age of fourteen and younger can not consent to any relationship sexual or otherwise. The Romeo and Juliet law has quite a lot of grey area when it comes to what is and isn’t acceptable in regards to underage relationships. With the laws varying between states there is no consistent understanding throughout the country. An event where this law becomes relevant is senior prom. Most seniors are between the ages of seventeen and eighteen with slightly older partners. For the safety of students Virginia Beach Public Schools has placed an age limit of twenty-one for plus ones.
Some believe the Romeo and Juliet law is not a good law to uphold. The law leaves too much room for interpretation, which can cause many issues. Statutory rape laws for males are rather new to the conversion of consent laws. A Washington Post article stated ,“Moreover, until recently the statutory rape laws applied only to girls, not to boys; heterosexual sex with an underage boy wasn’t statutory rape at all—now it is.” Leaving a high probability of young men being groomed. With there being an age limit for senior prom, the chances of pedophiles snaking their way into prom to groom these children. Allows for students to mingle with other students or friends close to their age. With the age range being so broad, the possibility of grooming increases. The mental capacity of a fifteen and nineteen year old is vastly different from one another. The law is quite vague with no elaboration on these potentially harmful circumstances. For Virginia, teens ages thirteen and fourteen can not consent in any circumstance when it comes to relationships. Fifteen year olds can consent to relationships within the laws guide lines. This drastic jump in the ability to consent leads to very dangerous situations.
Others believe the Romeo and Juliet law is rather useful and should continue to be in effect. According to Virginia’s Romeo and Juliet Law, a fifteen to seventeen year-old may provide consent to other teens who are close in age. In the United States,”The ages of consent throughout the country were apparently 10 or 12 throughout much of the 1800s; they then rose to 16 or 18 by 1920”. Most states believe the teens between the ages of fifteen and eighteen can be in a sexual relationship with other teens within three years of themselves. Tallwood classes, specifically electives, have a mix of grades in a single class, so connections can be made with the teens at any age. The age of consent within Virginia is universally eighteen; however, if an eighteen year old is in a sexual relationship with a sixteen year old for a considerable amount of time before the adult’s birthday the relationship is acceptable.
The feelings and concerns of the people opposed to the law completely are valid. A possible solution to appease both sides of the argument would be to make the law more reformed and strict. For example, Maryland’s law has very direct guide lines when it comes to their version of the law that could possibly work.“In Maryland, the age of consent is 16. People who are 15-years-old or younger may not consent to sexual activity. Additionally, Maryland doesn’t have a close-in-age exemption. Therefore, if two people under the age of 15 have consensual sex, they both could be prosecuted for statutory rape”. Having one specific law and age of consent instead to leaving the states the room for interpretation will make the laws less broad. The age of consent varying between sixteen and eighteen is confusing and incredibly unsafe for minors. Making a single age of consent for the entire country will minimize the amount of wrongfully accused statutory rape cases. The most logical age of consent in the United States should be eighteen. With a clear and distinctive law nationwide there would be no more room for confusion. Any minor age of thirteen and under could not consent in any circumstance. If two people ages sixteen or seventeen have consensual sex, they both could be prosecuted for statutory rape. Though it will be illegal, there will be no incarceration for these minors, it would simply serve as a warning.They would not have to join a registry for this offense. Seventeen year olds would be able to be in consensual relationships with eighteen year olds if the two are in the same academic grade.
The Romeo and Juliet law tries to prevent young adults from being groomed and violated. This law also protects younger adults from potentially being in harmful scenarios.The law is quite vague and varies between the states. This law is indistinct and there is room for discussion, elaborating on these laws will make the situation much more stable. The safety of the students at prom is the most important middle ground in the discussion.
