The boy was 14 when he allegedly had sex with two 12-year-old girls and one 11-year-old girl who were his friends. He was charged with nine counts, including statutory rape and indecent assault and battery of a child under the age of 14.
(...)
In its ruling, the court said that statutory rape laws, which once protected only girls, have been amended over the years to give the same protections to both boys and girls. The court also noted that the girls said they willingly performed sex acts on the boy.
"Indeed, sexual behavior seemed to melt seamlessly into games of 'manhunt,' 'truth or dare,' and 'making out,' " Chief Justice Margaret Marshall wrote for the majority in the 3-2 ruling.
But in a dissenting opinion, Justice Francis Spina noted that the boy was at least two years older than the girls and was entering the ninth grade, while the girls were entering the sixth and seventh grades. Spina also said the boy had not shown "intentional or deliberate discrimination by the prosecutor."
This is ridiculous.
I'm all for law and order. This kid needs supervision, not jail!
I'm just wondering how getting the police and the courts involved in all this is going to improve the children's situations.
And how does an eleven-year-old girl get in a situation where she is able to have sex with a fourteen-year-old? Somebody connect the dots.
I realize we should send a strong message to kids not to do this, but I wonder if treating it as a crime is the way to go. Are 12-year-olds going to be charged for making out with each other now?
