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Whichonedoyoubelievedemandsthegreatestresponsibilityandaccountability?Ipose  thisquestionbecausethelawsofourcountryconfusetheissue.Accordingtoourlaws,the  ageofmaturitywhensomeonecanvote,becomelegallyindependent,anddriveacaris t 18.However,theageforsexualconsentwhenapersoncanlegallyconsenttohavesex q d is16.Thismeansthatasixteenyearoldgirlisoldenoughtoindependentlydecideto a T havesex,butnotresponsibleenoughtodriveacar.Itisalsoillegalforapersonlessthan Q D  21topurchasealcoholicbeverages.Thereasoningseemstobethatanunmarriedsixteen A 4  yearoldteenagerhasmoreintellectualacumen,reasoningpower,andmaturitytohave 1 $  sex,thananeighteenyearoldtovoteforthedestinyournationandtodriveadangerous !  machine(thecar),andatwentyoneyearoldtopurchaseabottleof_Kalik_.   #X?XXPX##PX#XXX?TheBahamasisnotuniquewiththesekindsoflaws.ManyCaribbeanislandsand  countriesaroundtheworldhavesimilarlaws.Inotedwithinterestthough,thatBarbados  ageofmaturityis18,buttheageforsexualconsentandthelegalageonecangetmarried  is16.Ithoughtonehadtobematuredtobemarried!Perhapstheonlycountriesinthe  worldwheresexoutsideofmarriageisillegalisSaudiArabiaandMalaysia.Madagascar  hasthehighestageforsexualconsentattheageofage21(perhapstheonlyoneinthe  world).Countrieswiththelowestageforsexualconsent(ages12or13)areGuyana,  Columbia,Japan,Mexico,Malta,Nigeria,justtonameafew.Somecountrieshave t differentagesofsexualconsentforeachgender.Forexample:HongKong(18for qd males/15forfemales),Iran(14forfemales/17formales),Botswana(16females/14males), aT Bolivia(14forfemales/16formales).InPakistanthereisnoageforsexualconsent.This QD universalcommonalitytotheunimportanceofsexmakesitdifficultforustodowhatis A4 right.Itseemsthatthewholeworldhasitbackwards;buttheBahamascandosomething. 1$ ЀWecanatleastmatchtheageofsexualconsentandtheageofmaturity. ! #X?XXPX##PX#XXX? LEGALIZEDPROMISCUITY   IntheBahamas,apersonunderage18needsthelegalapprovalofhisorherparentstoget  married.Ontheotherhandtheydonotneedlegalapprovaltwoyearsearliertohavesex.    Whatanirony!Thiscertainlyprovesthatournationofficiallyvaluessexovermarriage !! andgoesatlengthtoprotectthatconceptbymakingitintopolicy.Our_nations_Ԁfamily " " policiesareinherentlydesignedtodestroythemarriagerelationshipandtogivelicense #!# toadultmenandwomentopreyoninnocentgirlsandboys.Thisisonereasonagencies $"$ likeSCAN,SocialServices,andtheCrisisCenterareclimbingahighwallofimpossibility. %#% Thelawsareworkingagainsttheirprogress.Thisisonereasonwehavedifficulty &x$& definingsexualabuseandmolestation. u'h%'   Itismyopinionthatthe% % ageofsexualconsentshouldatleastmatchtheageofmaturity U)H') (18)andbetteryet,be%%}Ԁraisedtoage21whenpsychologically,adulthoodreallybegins. E*8(* Adolescenceendsattheageof21andforsomepeople,at25.Sexualactivityisavery 5+()+ seriousdecisiontomake.Wehavetrivializedsextothepointthatthesacrednessof %,*, marriageisthreatened. -+- ЇItshouldbeaseriouscriminaloffenseforanyonetohavesexwithsomeoneaged21or   under(unlesslegallymarriedtothatperson).Thepunishmentshouldbeevenmore  severeifthevictimisunder18,andevengreaterifthevictimisunder13.   CHRISTIANNATION?   Iwondered,afterreviewingtheageofsexualconsentincountriesaroundtheworld,  whichcountriesaretrulyChristian?None.Theonlycountrythatappliesitsreligious  beliefstoitslawsisSaudiArabiawheresexoutsideofmarriageisillegal.Iamnot  suggestingtheothercountriesdothesame.Wecannotlegislatemorality.Thejoboflaw   makersistoprotecttheinnocentandpreservethebasicunitofsociety!thefamily.The  t  PilgrimFathersleftEuropehundredsofyearsagoforthisveryreason.Sotheycan q d  worshipandservetheirGodaccordingtothedictateoftheirconscience.Itisimperative a T  thatthechurchinfluencesthegovernmenttomakelawsthatprotecttheinnocent(our Q D  childrenandteenagers).Forexampleasixteenyearoldisnotoldenoughtovolunteer A4  forsex.Secondly,thereisa50/50chanceofgettingpregnantwhenyouhavesex. 1$  Pregnancybringswithithugeresponsibilities,andteenpregnancyoutsideofmarriagehas ! negativesociologicalandeconomiceffectsonournation.Thisriskaloneshouldcauseus  tochangethelaws.   SICKSOCIETY   AnthropologistandpsychologistDr.RobertEdgerton,inhisbook SickSocieties,  ChangingtheMythofPrimitiveHarmonybeginswiththesewords: Allsocietiesare  sick,butsomearesickerthanothers.ThisparaphraseofOrwellsfamousquipaboutthe  equalityofanimalscallsattentiontotheexistenceoftraditionbeliefsandpracticesthat  threatenhumanhealthandhappinessmoreinsomesocietiesthanothers.Healsostates  thatthereare somecustomsandsocialinstitutionsinallsocietiesthatcompromisehuman x wellbeing.Hepointsoutinhisbookthatthelawsofthesocietyareindicativeofits uh sicknessinthepast.Iaskthequestionthen,couldwepreservethefutureofournation eX andfamiliesbyfirstevaluatingthecurrentlawsofourlandrelevancyinthecurrent UH societyandthenbewillingtomakethechangeswherenecessary?AccordingtoDr. E8 Edgerton,historydemonstratesthatanysocietythatrefusestoexaminetherelevancyof 5( itslawsandtraditionsinthecontemporarysettingalwaysfails.Pleaseletusnotfallinto % thistrap.Letsworktogethertopreserveournation. BarringtonBrennenisamarriage    andfamilytherapist.Youcanreachhimat3238772,oremail  !! 4T RO  5  infor@soencouragement.org,61 ROE   7 s Ԁorvisitourwebsitewww.soencouragement.org,orwrite !" toSOE,P.O.BoxN896,Nassau,Bahamas  " # @*#X?XXPX#0 #