Statutory rape

The term "statutory rape" is sometimes used when national and/or regional governments, citing an interest in protecting minors, consider people under a certain age to be unable to give consent, and therefore consider sexual contact with them to be equivalent to rape regardless of the minor's consent.

Current Issues

While there is broad support for statutory rape laws in the United States, there is substantial debate on how vigorously such cases should be pursued and under what circumstances. In July, 2005, Matthew Koso of Falls City, Nebraska was charged with statutory rape for premarital sex with a 13-year-old whom he subsequently married. The decision to prosecute Koso--which was undertaken by the state's Attorney General, overruling the decision of the local prosecutor--has been controversial, with public opinion tilting in favor of Koso. See an example of a web page in opposition to the state's actions: Bruning's "Shotgun Divorce"

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