You would need to go to the history books for that one Ciara. This law was created in ye Olde Englande in the early to middle ages when women were viewed as incapable of any immoral or disgusting act as they were perceived as the carers and minders of society, As a result women often got the lesser sentence and the easier time of it in prison. Throughout history this is the general theme about women that has prevailed and it is only in the latter half of the 20th century that there has been inroads into the equalising of the sexes when it comes to crimes committed. Put women and crime in Ireland and England into your searchbar for more infomation.

Interesting aside: back in the 17th and 18th century, women were generally considered mentally incapable of committing most crimes, except for one bizarre case: Witchcraft. Unfortunately that appears to have been an extremely common occurrence.

I personally feel that anyone who abuses a child just be burned at the stake but for a woman, to go through pregnancy, bond with the foetus, shes obviously made the decision that she wants it as shes going to term, to go through labour and all the hormones that go with that, oxytocin for bonding etc and then she abuses the child, it is the most depraved form of abuse. It just goes against nature.

They are treated differently because they are women Ciara.

With all your talk last night about ‘equality’ you have just outlined one key difference (of many) between men and women. Women bear children and therefore have a different type of relationship with children.
Thats nature, thats life.

So when you stand up at the ‘feminist’ conference this weekend try bearing that in mind.

Men and women can *never* be equal because we simply are not the same.

DubIn, feminism is about men and women having equal opportunities, equal pay for the same job, equal entitlement to parental leave, equal access to their children, equal access to jobs in caring and education etc but unfortunately men dont have the equal opportunity to give birth. Thats a biological difference NOT a social one.

Women should serve time for child abuse just as men do, thats equality right there.
Physically we are not the same but thats no reason to not allow us all to have the same opportunities.

Would you tell your daughter that she cant do something because shes a girl or would you support and encourage her? If you believe she can achieve whatever she wants to achieve regardless of her gender then thats progress.

And DubIn, I wont be at any conference because Im minding a friends kids so HE can go watch the match while Mammy is working.

Well, DublinNaas, this argues pretty effectively against any of the sexual dribble that all women just have keen maternal instinct. For physical abuse, women abuse their children more than men.

Ciara,
Are you suggesting our only differences are physical ??

Nick,
Apols I’m not understanding you point

DubIn, yes, physical & biological.

Ahh interesting, because thats where the first difference appears

It seems to me that it is a mere fluke that we share (roughly speaking) the same body shape.

Men and women are entirely different in many ways beyond physical

The male and the female of all mammalian species have the same body shape . Thats evolution not fluke. So name all these differences and tell us why they merit inequality in pay, the ability to mind children, the ability to work in a caring profession etc.

I was just about to comment along similar lines. Surely the more serious aspect of a father sexually abusing his daughter (or mother and son) is the abuse, the inability to consent, not the fact that they are too closely related. A life sentence for two consenting adults having sex seems a bit severe, no matter how weird the familial ties they have may make it appear to other people.

Agree with you 100% Jim, throw the book at them if they are forcing a child – or adult – to do something against their will but in the case of consentual sex between two adults its not a crime and shouldn’t be treated as such.

What is it then if not a crime???????!??

its not a crime if its between consenting adults. Its not right in my eyes but itws certainly not a crime and is very different to child abuse or paedophilia.

Vote No

I’d like to see peer reviewed articles to argue that abuser are sexual abuse survivors. I work in the area and find that is VERY rare.

Where did Ciara dismiss equal treatment?

Mr, can you post something that makes sense? Where did anyone say anything about not accepting responsibility for something?

Yeah those damn legislators proposing legislation. How dare they!