No 10 rejects call to lower age of consent
peter.suber's bookmarks 2013-11-17
Summary:
"Downing Street and Nick Clegg have joined forces to reject a call by a leading public health official to consider lowering the age of consent to 15.
A spokesman for the prime minister said the current age of 16 was designed to protect children, a view echoed by the deputy prime minister who rejected a "blanket reduction" in the age of consent.
Professor John Ashton, president of the Faculty of Public Health, had called for a lowering of the age of consent to make it easier for 15-year-olds to seek contraception and sexual health advice from the NHS. Figures show that up to a third of teenagers have sex before they reach 16...."