Legal vs. Morals = The Britney Sisters Case

TheLegacy · 12-19-2007, 11:34 PM

We all know the story and many are shocked. To clarify - it is legal for her to have sex at 16 with someone 2 years older, though if it was 3, then it would be jail time.

Now all parents are running around now 5 days before Christmas trying to discuss why birds sometimes get stung early by bee's instead of Reindeer and Santa. So here's the deal.

My feeling is that the courts have it right. Unlike the States - in Canada you can have sex at 14, but the question is - with whom? In this situation with Jamie Spears the American court has decided to prevent being taken advantage of no one at 16 can have sex with anyone 3 years older.

Many can argue that no one is mature at that age or understands what they are getting into. My response then is 18 the magic number? Why not the voting age since they are capable in the government eyes to know who the right president should be.

Is "Understanding" at any age directly related to wisdom or maturity? If you are saying that then there really is NO specific age that you are deemed mature. Hell, I know 16 year olds that have their shit together more than some 40 year olds.

Whether this is a North American cultural quirk of morality, the legal system has definitely thought long and hard on the issue. Kids are going to have sex.. what is being protected here is who they are having sex with. Will they have sex with someone near their own age or have sex with an individual capable of manipulating them into a decision they will regret.

Can we stop them? Probably not. We can ony deter those who want to take advantage of them

BTW - Mary (baby Jesus mother) was suppose to be all of 14 or so years old when she was preg. - just for those staunch religious folks.

Oh and thats the father with her below.

Rochard · 12-20-2007, 02:42 AM

I'm okay with a three year age difference law. Meaning a eighteen year old man can have sex with a sixteen year old without going to jail. (It's possible that a eighteen year high school kid surrounded by kids younger than him, and there's no way he's not going to be getting some unless he's in the marching band.) This means a twenty year old could be having sex with a seventeen year old and I'm okay with that.

The law looks at an eighteen year old and sees an adult. I look at an eighteen year old and I see a kid surrounded by other kids, some of whom are younger than he/she is.

At the same time, I believe that anyone twenty-one or older dating anyone under eighteen is just damn creepy.

My problem in this case is more with the mother... JLS had been "living with her older boyfriend on and off for two years". Um, since when do girls age fourteen - sixteen start living with their boyfriends? And how was this boy, aged seventeen at the time, able to have his own place?

I think there is something wrong with her mother.

painful · 12-20-2007, 07:21 PM

Is that a trailer home in the background? I don't know what's wrong with that family, they are tooooo white trash. I assume she makes enough money to buy condoms or birth control. I lost my virginity at the age of 13, and I don't think it hurt me, except for the fact that I ALWAYS wanted to do it and my grades suffered. As for the Spears girls, they are fucking role models for young girls and should have their act together. People should be making sure shit like this doesn't happen, and if it does, then Zoe 101 should be cancelled, and I mean OFF THE AIR! My daughter (10) watches that stupid little CHILD's show, and now I have to turn it off. She's not happy and neither am I. Role models. Why doesn't she just go smoke some crack or kill homeless people? I think that family should go away for good. I am very open with my children about sex and pretty much any question they have about anything, I feel it's better that they are educated than to lie about things. Maybe someone should've had a talk the Spears girls about sex. Bad parenting, bad role models.

And the worst part... Britney doesn't have a kick-ass home video yet.

Cold_ice · 12-20-2007, 10:53 PM

I think this girl proably had very little of a real child hood if any at all. I think there is no mother figure or father or grand parents that give a shit. I think the law has it right and people need to mind their fucking own business. My sister got pregnant at age 16 and turned out to be a great mother and role model. She makes well over 100 grand a year and her kids are all turning out to be pretty normal. Hopefully Mrs. Spears will be a great mother and live a clean life. Just my two cents. Fred

painful · 12-21-2007, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cold_ice

I think this girl proably had very little of a real child hood if any at all. I think there is no mother figure or father or grand parents that give a shit. I think the law has it right and people need to mind their fucking own business. My sister got pregnant at age 16 and turned out to be a great mother and role model. She makes well over 100 grand a year and her kids are all turning out to be pretty normal. Hopefully Mrs. Spears will be a great mother and live a clean life. Just my two cents. Fred

DROPPED HER CHILD AND BLAMED THE NANNY! 'nuff said.

TheLegacy · 12-21-2007, 11:15 AM

As said, there are many who will blame the mom - but honestly - my wife left home at 16 and today she is happier than anything with an extremely supportive mother.

If the mother broke the law, then child services and the courts would be after her - but they didn't. We didn't overhear what was said, and most mom's know that forcing a child is not going to make them do anything. There comes a time when you need to decide - either I banish the child from my home and life in hopes that the threat will stop my child from being stupid - OR - being a parent means that you know they will do stupid things, but you need to stand beside them and love them no matter what.

I know some great pastors or families who's parenting skills could never be challenged and yet kids have a mind of their own and will go against society and authority no matter who brought them up.

What is sad now is that the media/TV etc. are planning on creating a show around her to capitalize on the drama. can some good come from it? Depends on wether Oprah and Dr Phil are the key note speakers

Rochard · 12-21-2007, 01:32 PM

I too left home when I was sixteen. In fact, I moved to another state and lived with my girlfriend and her parents. They allowed me to stay there under one condition - That I remained in school. Deal.

I ended up becoming a US Marine, a college graduate, and I have one child with my wife - none of this multiple kids out wedlock.

Oh, and I've been with my wife for nearly fourteen years now....

painful · 12-21-2007, 01:44 PM

All I'm saying is that Britney lost her kid to K-FED! Ok, you gotta be a pretty shitty mom in order to do that. It didn't matter that she is rich or famous, and I hope her sister doesn't think that's the way a mom should be.

I feel sorry for all those kids.

Cyndalie · 12-21-2007, 03:51 PM

No (sane) 16 year old i s out there having sex to get pregnant...they DON'T always know what they are getting into and can't always handle the responsibility.

painful · 12-21-2007, 05:31 PM

What a hero. Stupid girl probably ruined her career on Disney, unless they want to go that route.

Rania · 12-23-2007, 12:38 AM

White trailer trash

Virgule3 · 12-23-2007, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rania

White trailer trash

Yup! My reaction too...

Sophie.

Terrence · 12-24-2007, 09:13 PM

I have no comment except what is a 16 year old doing having un protected sex? What are we teaching our teens? TRASH is right!

Terrence

painful · 12-24-2007, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terrence

I have no comment except what is a 16 year old doing having un protected sex? What are we teaching our teens? TRASH is right!

Terrence

Wow, what a catch! Look at her, right outta da trailer!

freeklaus · 12-26-2007, 10:58 PM

a 16 yr old female is still 5 years ahead of a 18 year old guy in maturity. I think the stupidity factor here is...... not of having sex or not..... but to not use birth control............ Age is a society standard, and as we all know society is not always right....... if age was a important factor than it would not be a country by country issue but rather something instinctive We all agree on as the standard with out debate ....... like 10 (some cultures accept 12)
personally there is a vast difference between 2 people close in age and say a 16 and 46 yo.
We were all young once, some of us even stupid and we didn't always think before doing.

painful · 12-27-2007, 11:38 AM

That maturity thing is physiological, not always psychological. It's "girls develop faster" not "girls are more mature" Take strippers for instance. Do you really think they're mature adults? I've dated a LOT of strippers and I can honestly say NO, they aren't. And it doesn't even matter in this case. She is in the public eye as a role model for our daughters and on the Disney channel and she is so stupid as to go get knocked up and then EMBRACE IT. Not a good model I want for my 10 year old little girl, sorry. I just hope Zoe 101 ends before she starts showing.

Cyndalie · 12-27-2007, 12:20 PM

This flips this thread on it's head....

The 18 year old boyfriend may NOT BE THE FATHER

http://perezhilton.com/?p=11074

Quote:

“Casey is being paid off to be the family’s fall guy while the real father remains unidentified,” Star magazine insists.

They say the real reason is that an older man could be charged with statutory rape if revealed to be the father of an under-aged girl’s baby.

But in Jamie Lynn’s home state of Louisiana, Casey would escape charges because a 16-year-old can legally have sex with someone less than two years older than her. “Conveniently, Casey falls under the bar by just 26 days.

“The man many suspect is the father, however, would face charges and probably prison time if he were to come forward and admit he had sex with her,” Star magazine states.

The magazine quotes “two separate Spears family insiders” who believe the father is someone who works on Jamie Lynn’s kids’ show. “Jamie Lynn has been working on Zoey since she was 13,” one of the sources said. “In Hollywood, little girls grow up fast, and she is no exception.

“With everything that has gone on in her family, she needed someone to look up to.

The suspected father is a producer of the show.

painful · 12-28-2007, 12:40 AM

Funbrunette · 12-28-2007, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyndalie

This flips this thread on it's head....

The 18 year old boyfriend may NOT BE THE FATHER

http://perezhilton.com/?p=11074

The suspected father is a producer of the show.

The plot thickens!

This couldn't get any better even if they tried!