HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) -
A rash of statutory rape arrests have made headlines in recent weeks. If one Alabama lawmaker has his way, some statutory sex laws will undergo a significant change.
Alabama State Representative Mac McCutcheon said he's reworking a controversial bill that failed to pass in 2012. McCutcheon said he wants Alabama to raise its age of consent for sexual acts from 16 to 18. That would put Alabama on par with Tennessee, Virginia, Florida and eight other states that have set 18 as the age on consent.
McCutcheon argued that 16-year-olds don't have a full grasp of the consequences of sex.
The Capshaw Republican proposed a similar bill to the Legislature this year, but it failed to pass through. McCutcheon said the wording of the 2012 bill might have caused conflicts with existing laws, and he's hoping the reworked 2013 bill would eliminate those problems.
McCutcheon said adolescents don't understand the repercussions of having a sexual relationship with an adult, which could end up hurting them in the long run.
"Some of the emails that I received were from the victims themselves who had actually gotten involved with an older person, and they realized that it had caused them some problems, and they wish they had more parental guidance," said McCutcheon.
McCutcheon said he's hoping to re-introduce this bill again in the upcoming session.
Copyright 2012 WAFF. All rights reserved.
Mac McCutcheon
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WSFA, a Raycom Media Station.
