Emergency Legislation Protects Underage Girls

Ireland enacted an emergency law against sex with underage girls after the Supreme Court last week voided a 1935 law on statutory rape.

Public outrage followed the ruling, especially after a lower court freed a man serving time for sex with a 12-year-old. On appeal, the Supreme Court ordered him reimprisoned.

The Supreme Court threw out the old law on the grounds it didn’t permit men to claim they thought the girl was older. The new law, which set the age of consent for boys and girls at 17, will allow that argument, but Justice Minister Michael McDowell warned that it could lead to harsh questioning of young girls.