# Apparently it's possible to sexually abuse yourself **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 5, 2007, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-its-possible-to-sexually-abuse-yourself/390909 "2007-02-05T10:59:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-its-possible-to-sexually-abuse-yourself/390909/1 "2007-02-05T10:59:09Z")
[Or it is if this AP wire news blurb is correct](http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/internetlife/2004-03-29-child-self-porn_x.htm): > [@](#): > > A 15-year-old girl has been arrested for taking nude photographs of her self and posting them on the Internet, police said. > > [snip] > > She has been charged with sexual abuse of children, possession of child pornography and dissemination of child pornography. OK, USA Today isn’t one of my primary news sources, but the Associated Press is. This is an AP wire story, meaning the AP wrote it and other news sources picked it up and published it. I’ll assume it’s generally fairly accurate because we all know the perversity of the Universe tends towards a maximum. So, what is the legal theory here? How can someone be the victim of child pornography when they are the one who took the pictures and created said pornography of themselves? I understand victimless crimes, but crimes where the perpetrator is also the purported victim? Ladies and gentlemen of the supposed Dope, this does not make sense! Ladies and gentlemen, I am not making any sense! [If Chewbacca lives on Endor, you must acquit!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chewbacca_Defense) More broadly, it is illegal to have sex with a child, something generally taken to include masturbation and other non-reproductive sex acts. So, who here didn’t masturbate until the age of consent? Be honest. Who here would be guilty of statutory rape, a strict liability offense, under the same general theory the prosecution is using in the case the news story I linked to talks about? If you say no, you either don’t know how high the age of consent is (14 is a common lower bound) or your memory is absolute shit. Who here thinks that girl’s life should be ruined because she took pictures of herself? ---
**Author:** ![blinkingblinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-its-possible-to-sexually-abuse-yourself/390909/2 "2007-02-05T11:10:33Z")
Are you pitting AP or USA Today or the lawmakers? Or did you just think this would de-generate to a pit thread? (I am just asking) ---
**Author:** ![blinkingblinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-its-possible-to-sexually-abuse-yourself/390909/3 "2007-02-05T11:37:14Z")
This USA Today article is dated 2004. “A 15-year-old girl has been arrested for taking nude photographs of her self…” Should not that be ‘taking photos of herself’. What is ‘taking photos of her self’? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-its-possible-to-sexually-abuse-yourself/390909/4 "2007-02-05T12:01:27Z")
If you accept that increasing the sum total of child pornography available is bad, then the last charge makes at least some vague sense. The second one also, if you work on the assumption that what she has is likely to escape and be seen by others. The first charge is just sheer insanity. But then, sheer insanity is a key characteristic of moral panics, which is what the US and its cultural siblings is undergoing in relation to matters pertaining to sex and children at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-its-possible-to-sexually-abuse-yourself/390909/5 "2007-02-05T13:50:37Z")
I have a similar story; a friend of mine distributed candy bars with a wrapper featuring himself when he was eight sporting a rather impressive eight year old erection to promote his punk band. He never got turned in (no-one in the East Village punk community bothered to…color me surprised.) But I always wondered. I’d say you can’t be called on abusing a child. But it’s still distributing illegal pornography. There is no victim but it’s illegal to distribute some kinds of porn no matter who you are. If you send a picture to your 15 year old boyfriend I can’t see it. That might be illegal as well but it would be insane. If you put it on the internet…well I still think it’s insane 'cause I not opposed to 15 year olds having sex, or being naked, but I guess encoraging 50 year old guys to think about screwing 15 year olds is not a good idea. Does it say what she actually got sentenced with? ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-its-possible-to-sexually-abuse-yourself/390909/6 "2007-02-05T14:00:55Z")
[QUOTE=betenoir] I have a similar story; a friend of mine distributed candy bars with a wrapper featuring himself when he was eight sporting a rather impressive eight year old erection to promote his punk band. [/QUOTE] He had an erection for eight years?! Did his mother put Viagra in his baby formula? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-its-possible-to-sexually-abuse-yourself/390909/7 "2007-02-05T14:08:16Z")
[QUOTE=Canadjun] He had an erection for eight years?! Did his mother put Viagra in his baby formula? 😃 [/QUOTE] They took the picture using time priapse photography. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-its-possible-to-sexually-abuse-yourself/390909/8 "2007-02-05T14:13:21Z")
Here’s a question, do they charge her as an adult or as a minor? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-its-possible-to-sexually-abuse-yourself/390909/9 "2007-02-05T15:28:15Z")
> [@](#): > > Apparently it’s possible to sexually abuse yourself It is? Why the fuck didn’t anyone tell me?!? I’ll be back in a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Slypork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@Slypork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slypork)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-its-possible-to-sexually-abuse-yourself/390909/10 "2007-02-05T15:47:30Z")
**Apparently it’s possible to sexually abuse yourself** Of course it is. How many times have people on this board been told, “Go fuck yourself!” And I’m sure everyone here has been guilty of self-abuse on at least one occasion. Shame on all of you. Now, go screw yourself! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-its-possible-to-sexually-abuse-yourself/390909/11 "2007-02-05T15:54:16Z")
Actually, it’s probably only sexual self-abuse if you tell yourself no, but you refuse to take no for an answer. And contrary to popular belief, back alley self-abuse is far less prevalent then self-abuse within the home. In fact, it’s been estimated, that in 97%\* of sexual self-abuse cases, the perpetrator was known to the victim, and was in posession of the victim’s personal identity information. STOP THE CYCLE! \*Margin of error: 3%. ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-its-possible-to-sexually-abuse-yourself/390909/12 "2007-02-05T16:14:36Z")
I predict that under intense questioning, they will find that she has, in fact, been sexually abusing herself for years. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-its-possible-to-sexually-abuse-yourself/390909/13 "2007-02-05T16:19:59Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] It is? Why the fuck didn’t anyone tell me?!? I’ll be back in a bit. [/QUOTE] 24 minutes, eh. A quickie. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-its-possible-to-sexually-abuse-yourself/390909/14 "2007-02-05T16:51:45Z")
[QUOTE=D\_Odds] 24 minutes, eh. A quickie. [/QUOTE] Yeah, well, now that I know it’s possible, I won’t be saving up bullets for nearly as long. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-its-possible-to-sexually-abuse-yourself/390909/15 "2007-02-05T16:57:51Z")
[QUOTE=erie774] Now, go screw yourself! 😛 [/QUOTE] If only I could. Years of limbering exercise and still no success. ::sigh:: ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-its-possible-to-sexually-abuse-yourself/390909/16 "2007-02-05T17:29:34Z")
She’s a naughty, naughty, little girl. She needs to be spanked. Seriously, she should be charged with _something_ for posting her pics on the Internet. That’s not cool. I can just imagine some poor bastard jerk’n off to her picture thinking she’s 18 then, he, himself getting charged for some sex crime. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-its-possible-to-sexually-abuse-yourself/390909/17 "2007-02-05T18:35:19Z")
There was a case in Vancouver several years ago where two students at Vancouver Technical School caught having sex in an out-of-the-way part of the school were both charged with statutory rape, since both of their partners were underage. Fttt. ---
**Author:** ![Slypork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@Slypork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slypork)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-its-possible-to-sexually-abuse-yourself/390909/18 "2007-02-05T20:21:22Z")
[QUOTE=ShibbOleth] If only I could. Years of limbering exercise and still no success. ::sigh:: [/QUOTE] Yeah, that sucks. Or not. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-its-possible-to-sexually-abuse-yourself/390909/19 "2007-02-05T21:21:44Z")
I took nude pictures of myself (face obscured), including an a shot of me erect, at 17 and posted them online. Apparently that makes be a child pornographer :rolleyes: . ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-its-possible-to-sexually-abuse-yourself/390909/20 "2007-02-05T22:04:32Z")
[QUOTE=alphaboi867] including an a shot of me erect [/QUOTE] Maybe not a pornographer, but highly weird. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-its-possible-to-sexually-abuse-yourself/390909.md?page=2)