In a shocking 31 states, the legal age that a child can give their consent to have sex is 16. For 7 states, including Louisiana, the age is 17 and in only 12 states does that age equal what most of us assume is an “adult” at 18.  Child predators don’t always look like the men and women we see on the news. They can be friends, coworkers, and in our case, mothers of your teenagers friends. After doing a little research on why the age to consent to sexual activity is 17 or less, it appears that the legal ages are lower than most of us know is because 16 is the legal age in most Eastern countries. 

This is obviously ridiculous. Children younger than 18 must have parental consent to go on field trips, give consent for medical treatment and even get their ears pierced.  As parents, we should not have to worry about the PARENTS of our children’s friends taking advantage of them.  16 and 17 is too young to make a decision that is meant for people who can mentally, physically, financially and emotionally handle the consequences that come with sexual activity. 

I became aware of this “age of consent law” when my son was taken advantage of at the vulnerable age of 17 by a 37 year old woman. He is now preparing to be a father with a married 38 year old woman. This is why I am so passionate about having these laws changed. 

I would like to increase the age of consent to 18, particularly in Louisiana, but possibly in all 50 states.