For years in Indiana, the age at which a person could legally consent to have sex was 16 and now there is a new law. Lawyers for young defendants accused of having sex with 14- and 15-year-olds now can pose a defense against charges of sexual misconduct with a minor.

The defense can be asserted if the person accused of having sexual contact with a 14- or 15-year-old is under 21, is no more than four years older than the alleged victim and was involved in a dating relationship with the victim at the time.

Sex with a person under 14 is still considered child molesting, regardless of the age of the perpetrator. But the new law could
protect an 18-year-old from adult felony charges if he has sex with a 15-year-old girlfriend, for instance.

There are voices saying that the law change arose from concern that the ever-widening set of crimes that force people to register as sex offenders was having unintended consequences.

At the beginning it was a narrow list of offenses that prompted the sex offender registry requirement and It had to be rape, criminal deviate conduct — some forcible sex act.

As time goes by, more offenses were added to the list of convictions requiring registration. As a result, some teens in consensual, dating relationships wound up with criminal convictions that required lifetime sex offender registration.

This have a great impact, because it affects the ability to get into school, student loans, job, it reduces the chance to a normal life and also the pursuit of happiness.


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