Infamous Jeffrey Epstein lawyer and regular Fox News guest Alan Dershowitz defended a controversial op-ed from the 1990, in which he called for the lowering of the age of consent to 16, and said that “statutory rape is an outdated concept” while arguing that there should be “Romeo and Juliet exceptions” to the current legal understanding of rape laws.
As recent documents were unsealed, revelations that Dershowitz was accused of having sex with an underage girl facilitated by Epstein amid the recent Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking scandals following Epstein’s former girlfriend and confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell, arrest by the FBI. One prominent accuser, Virginia Giuffre, claims that he was coaxed into having sex with the prominent lawyer at Epstein’s behest.
In the column, originally written for the LA Times in 1997, unearthed in a “hit piece” by the New Yorker, Dershowitz points out how “if a 16-year-old can choose abortion, she should be able to choose to have sex.”
He then broaches the prevalence of sexual encounters in girls before their 15th birthday, before arguing for a Constitutional case to lower the age of consent.
“It is obvious that there must be criminal sanctions against sex with very young children, but it is doubtful whether such sanctions should apply to teenagers above the age of puberty since voluntary sex is so common in their age group,” Dershowitz writes.
— Guy1749 (@guy1749) July 29, 2019
Dershowitz then entertains lowering the age of consent to 14 years old, before offering a compromise of 15 with a staggering punishment increasing in severity with each subsequent year away from the revised age of consent.
Last year, when Epstein controversy was reaching fever pitch, Dershowitz came out in defense of his then 22-year-old op-ed.
“I stand by the constitutional (not moral) argument I offered in my controversial oped,” he tweeted. “[If] a 16-year-old has the constitutional right to have an abortion without state or parental interference, how could she not have the constitutional right to engage in consensual sex?”
I stand by the constitutional (not moral) argument I offered in my controversial oped: if a 16 year old has the constitutional right to have an abortion without state or parental interference, how could she not have the constitutional right to engage in consensual sex? 1/ https://t.co/48Thb8Uaym
— Alan Dershowitz (@AlanDersh) July 29, 2019
He continued: “I challenge my readers to distinguish the cases, as a matter of constitutional law. I did not suggest that it is moral to have sex with a 16-year-old, but rather that the issue presents a constitutional conundrum worthy of discussion.”
“I also pointed out that, statutory rape laws are applied quite selectively and often against young teenagers. That’s why I also say there are Romeo and Juliet exceptions. Let’s debate not name call,” he added.
I also pointed out that, statutory rape laws are applied quite selectively and often against young teenagers. That’s why I also say there are Romeo and Juliet exceptions. Lets debate not name call. End/
— Alan Dershowitz (@AlanDersh) July 29, 2019
The controversial defense of the op-ed initially caused a stir on social media and mainstream publications such as The Boston Globe covered the tweets.
Fox News presenter Tucker Carlson recently grilled the Harvard Professor on a recent segment, but the criminal defense attorney maintains his innocence. In a tweet, he called for an investigation to be launched into his “false accuser.”
The media should investigate my false accuser— and me https://t.co/ELfjsAryBt
— Alan Dershowitz (@AlanDersh) August 2, 2020
Dershowitz also wrote: “There are no new accusations against me in the documents I got unsealed. All her accusations were made in suits she filed years ago. They were false then and now, as shown by her emails and manuscript that prove I never met her.”
There are no new accusations against me in the documents I got unsealed. All her accusations were made in suits she filed years ago. They were false then and now, as shown by her emails and manuscript that prove I never met her. MTC
— Alan Dershowitz (@AlanDersh) July 31, 2020
given how many teen pregnancies there are they should raise it…
Pray tell how raising the age of consent would impact the number of teens engaging in sex?
Biblical scholars have purported that Mary, the MOTHER OF JESUS,
was about thirteen years of age when she was pregnant
I’m a Libertarian Today, in this third millenium, young people are engaging in sex at the age of eleven years of age.
THERE SHOULD BE NO AGE OF CONSENT
There should only be THE INDIVIDUAL DESIRE.!!!!
First let’s convict Allan Dershowitz of Pedophilia along with his associates in crime, then we as a society can look at the age of consent and determine if it needs to be lowered.
Alan’s a bat shit crazy pervert!
NO WE CAN’T LOWER THE AGE OF CONSENT——– SOME KIDS AREN’T READY FOR IT. AND THAT WOULD GIVE THE HUMAN SMUGGLERS MORE SPACE. TO PICK UP KIDS. NO WAY WRONG MOVE.!IT IS A BAD IDEA IN THE FIRST PLACE.!!! AND WHY WERE YOU ON THAT ISLAND, I THOUGHT YOU WERE A BETTER PERSON THEN THAT.!
more verbal diarrhea drible, doesn’t he have a place to go ?? and never come out in public again. A basement , or and under ground garage .
The an is overwhelmingly reminiscent of Biden in cognitive values and human decency. We do not get even close to godly principles and ways. The devil comes in many different costumes.
The FBI states that 4th graders are watching porn. Lowering the age of consent while leaving in place laws against unwanted encounters relieves the judicial system of dealing with consensual, informed behavior.
He had the documents unsealed. He did not an investor.
His logic is sound and anyone contesting the logic has little reasoning for not seeing the comparisons other than wanting to ignore the facts.
I am laughing my a$$ off at you morons and your approach to this problem. When you send a child to school and the teacher is allowed to instruct a 6-7-year-old in how to give cunnilingus or fellatio what the hell do you expect??? Yuh think they (child) will not attempt the act at the first opportunity??? Now, tell me how a twelve-year-old with raging hormones is going to react (or not) when a grown up approaches them for sex. QUIT TEACHING LITTLE KIDS HOW TO HAVE SEX AND 90% of the problem goes away. When a pervert such as Alan is discovered castrate the pig and another major percent of the problem disappears. Quit listening to the queer community that it is Okay to have two of the same sex raise a child into queerdom and another hurdle disappears. ANYONE OUT THERE??? ARE YOU LISTENING??? THERE IS A SOLUTION…JUST DO IT…
I agree with Curtis. Planned Parenthood teaches teens to have safe and protected sex and hands out condoms, knowing that at least some of the youths will have unprotected sex and Planned Parenthood will help them, FOR A FEE. If abstinence was taught in schools, the teens who listen and are responsible will be better for it.
If abstinence could be TAUGHT, we would be teaching REPRESSION OF
WHAT IS NATURAL.
Talk about fu**ked** kids and SOCIETY. Waste time teaching kids how to ignore their GOD-GIVEN NATURAL URGES.
His legal reasoning is sound.
The moral question is an entirely different conversation , but this country stopped having discussions some time ago .
Jesus saved me, I now believe in being a virgin before marriage like God intended or celibate
after the truth finds you like me in God’s power.
This is not about romeo & juliet stories like the article says. Statutory rape is about holding
grown males or females responsible for engaging in sex with a minor. The adult knows better
and this is a child and the adult knows better. The adult engaging in sexual activity with a minor
for impure sexual gratification is not okay, it is perverted. So how can statutory law be outdated.
STATUTORY RAPE LAW IS NOT ABOUT TWO CONSENTING TEENAGERS HAVING SEX!
IT IS ABOUT GROWN ADULTS HAVING SEX WITH CHILDREN OR MINORS…
Adults know right from wrong and the law should not be ridded to get perverted adults
off from justice being served for the crime.
Oh! STOP SENDING SUCH DRACONIAN DRIBBLE!
When the URGE for sexual satisfaction exits IT IS NATURAL TO HAVE
that urge satisfied.
What we all know is that there are many different expressions of SEX.
TRUST the the child knows what he or she wants. It could just be exploratory of the genitalia. Adult or same age partner, LET IT BE!!!
Let’s stay out of that kitchen for now. There is enough bat shit distractions going on without totally burning the soup.
My mother was married at 14 and had two step children to care for then added two of her own. many states has the age of consent as low as ten years old. children had to grow up quickly to make the most of the productive years. it was when women started to have an influence in politics that suddenly you were not old enough to understand. or this is what they wanted the girls to think. beauty fades quickly and many women wanted to insure that the younger competition was removed. women while not overtly vicious are covertly. we had one sister smother her younger sibling because her boyfriend kept looking at her. hell has no fury!!——–Grampa
@Gramps. I understand and agree with your wisdom.