Re: William Saletan: child rape apologist
by
StevieN
10/14/2009, 11:33 PM
Anywhere:
k84:In terms of law enforcement, pedophilia includes having sex with a minor. 13 years old qualifies one as a minor, and in pretty much every state in America, a 40-year-old having sex with a 13-year-old is illegal. Any questions?
You are correct within the specific qualification you added: "in terms of law enforcement."
She's not, actually. An adult having sex with a minor is illegal (given certain qualifiers), but it is not, in and of itself, legally described as "pedophilia".
Not according to Wikipedia
I quote their article:
"In law enforcement, the term "pedophile" is generally used to describe those accused or convicted of the sexual abuse of a minor (including both prepubescent children and adolescent minors below the local age of consent"
In support of that statement it cites this reference:
Ames MA, Houston DA (August 1990). "Legal, social, and biological definitions of pedophilia". Arch Sex Behav 19 (4): 333–42.