Previously in the the
UK 16 was the
age of consent for only
heterosexual couples, I think the age of consent for homosexual intercourse was 18. The
amendment bill was designed to
equalize this.
The difference had little
justification as every argument for the age restriction to stay at 18 was either
prejudiced or would cover gay or heterosexual 16 year olds. Young teenage girls (and boys) are just as
vulnerable to being
manipulated into
sex by boys (or by girls) as any young homosexual male. There are
sexual predators out there to take
advantage of people of any age or sexuality, but I believe the question of safety and
responsibility comes back to
education and not
prohibition. Age
restrictions are necessary to protect the young but
differentiating between sexualities just
engenders
prejudice.
The House of Lords blocked the passage of the bill on different occasions, finally the House of Commons pushed it through.The only reason the lords blocked it was their own bias, it was just one of the many inequalities in our society.
The full amendment bill can be viewed here >>> http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199899/cmbills/010/1999010.htm
Update:
The Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill came into effect on the 8th of January 2001, the ages of consent have been equalized and now they both stand at 16 for all in England, Scotland and Wales. Young homosexual couples' rights are now more in line with those of young heterosexuals.