Statutory Rape Law and Policy
The Law and Policy Group, Inc. provides programs on Statutory Rape. These programs focus on empowering young people with information about their legal protections under law.
The Law and Policy Group, Inc.supports the assertion of human rights. We believe each person, female and male, has the right to grow physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally into the best person possible. You are a beautiful individual with unique gifts in need of protection.The information provided is a helpful start to a better understanding of your legal rights and responsibilities as a young adult. Teenagers must balance exploring their new found freedom with protecting themselves.
Too many teens in the U.S. are becoming pregnant, contracting HIV/AIDS and communicable diseases, and suffering emotional trauma due to relationships with adult men. Teen pregnancies are higher in the United States than in most other countries. The fathers of children born to teenage mothers are too often older men. The older men know that their relationships with a teenage girl is against the law. How most teens do not know the law.
Each state has laws protecting young people from adult sexual predators. For example:
-The law in New York protects young people under age 17 from adult
perpetrators. Under the law, it is a 1st degree felony for an adult to have
sexual relations with a child under age 11. It is a 2nd degree felony for an
adult older than 18 to have relations with a person under age 14. It is a
3rd degree felony for an adult over 21 to have relations with a person
under 17.
-The law also protects male teens from female as well as male adult perpetrators.
On October 1, 2003, New York State passed the Emergency Treatment of Rape Survivors Act. This law "requires means that all hospitals providing emergency treatment to rape survivors to accurately counsel women who have been raped about emergency contraception and to make emergency contraception available on-site, at the time of treating these women. The law also directs the Commissioner of Health to develop and distribute accurate information about emergency contraception for rape survivors.
Most importantly, this law ensures that women who survive rape will not be further victimized by inadequate medical treatment. All hospitals will be required to dispense emergency contraception (EC) immediately, on-site, to all rape victims who choose to use EC after having been counseled. This is the long-established medical standard in the emergency treatment of rape survivors – and it is the right thing to do." Source- Planned Parenthood. For more information: www.plannedparenthood.org/
Rape of any kind can leave a person physically harmed and emotionally devastated. When in trouble we believe teens should seek out their parents, counselor, religious leader, or teacher. Teens need to know that although adults are busy they really care. If any person is in immediate physical danger, please contact the police at 911.