So this is a question I’ve always wanted to ask. If you are born straight, and you’re born gay, and those are both sexual preferences, why couldn’t one be born a pedophille? And if you are born a pedophille, what’s to stop you from trying to get the same rights as everyone else? And I don’t mean changing society right now, because I know all about the immorality of it and having to protect the children, but what if they persisted for years? Now, I don’t have the science behind this, and I’m not really expressing any opinion. I’d just like to know what you all have to say about it?
Pedophilia is a crime because it harms children. There may be similarities between being “born straight” “born gay” and “born pedophile”, but the first two do not necessarily cause harm to anyone by their very definition, like pedophilia does.
Children are deemed unable to give consent. Adults can give consent.
Having pedophilic feels and urges isn’t illegal. Acting on them is because the other party cannot give consent.
You may be born with a preference for young children, but as long as it’s illegal, you’ll have to keep those urges under control.
Of course, you also have the right to try and change the laws so it’s not illegal, so it’s not quite a “suffer in silence and shaddap” situation, either.
This is a serious issue for me, Nik
Some people are born with certain mental disorders that can, among other things, make taking a human life mean nothing, or make stealing attractive, or lead to addiction to substances or behaviors. However, this does not mean they have a right to kill, steal, or do illegal drugs.
There is a whole field of medicine that you may or may not have heard of that is focused on controlling these psychological disorders and allowing these people to function in daily life. It requires intense therapy, medication, sometimes constant supervision, and very rarely, incarceration in a mental hospital.
I know many of these people. I’ve met with them. I’ve lived with them. I’ve been in hospitals with them. These are serious medical disorders that can be treated, with the proper support, and the people can live mostly normal lives.
As has been pointed out.
There is nothing wrong in being homosexual or paedophilic by nature. But if a Homosexual acts on their feelings no one is harmed, and this is therefor fine. If a paedophile acts on their feelings a child is harmed and this is not fine.
It is necessary therefor to help the paedophile so that they do not act on their nature.
I think you may be assuming that, since the innateness of one’s sexual orientation is often brought up in discussions here, it’s that innateness alone that makes it “off limits” to legislation–or should, at any rate.
this is not the case; it’s not as simple as that. There are other factors involved in the discussion, so to assume that whatever innateness means in one situation it means exactly the same thing in *all * situations is a vast oversimplification.
If pedophilia is an innate condition, then it is amoral. That does not mean it’s okay to have sex with children, any more than being born heterosexual makes it okay to commit rape. Regardless of an individual’s sexual urges, the consenting adults line is a pretty clear case.
But saying so just pisses all over the absurd arguments like the one laid out in the OP. And there are an awful lot of people using and abusing that argument to rail against homosexuality in what they consider to be an “intellectual” fashion.
And we mustn’t forget that when gays can marry, then Pat Robertson will be free to finally give in and start talking sweet to his cocker spaniel, clearing the way for a wedding and some sweet, sweet puppy lovin’.
Waste
I thank you all for your comments. Please don’t believe for a second that I was in any way defending pedophilles, or that I was comparing it to homosexuality. The question I asked was simply that, a question. I honestly and sincerly wanted to know how others felt. Zagadka, I felt yours in particular was a very informative answer. I do know the seriousness of this topic, and I apreaciate your serious answer. And for the record, I don’t feel as though I was making any ridiculous arguments in my OP. I was only asking about the arguments I’ve heard. Again, thanks everyone.
The idea that homosexuals are born that way is a red herring. Whether they are or they aren’t is irrelevant to the morality of homosexuality. All that matters is that homosexuality, in itself, harms nobody. The belief that homosexuality is justified due to some accident of birth is a remnant of less enlightened times when justification was considered necessary. By the same token, homosexuality being a lifestyle choice is not a valid moral criticism from the homophobic crowd.
Paedophiliac activity, on the other hand, is harmful. At the very least, it should be considered wrong because it involves the exploitation of someone without their informed consent even where no explicit objection was raised by the child. Paedophiles deserve the same rights as everybody else, however those rights don’t include the right to fuck or otherwise exploit children for sexual gratification.
This is unfortunate for non-practising paedophiles who may have no control over their desires but is also irrelevant to the rights of someone else who happens to be incapable of informed consent.
It’s wrong and I agree that it’s not really germane, but people still do argue that gays choose to be sinners- so I think it’s fair to mention this is not the case.
You’re perfectly entitled to try to change the laws, like everybody else. It’s just not gonna work in this case.
i thought pedophilia was largely environmental and due to either cultural endorsement (like in ancient greece) or being molested yourself at a young age. Homosexuality and heterosexuality seem genetically hardwired but pedophilia seems like a byproduct of personal experience.
In order for pedophilia to be accepted society at large would first have to start believing that children are not innocent creatures and are capable of making adult decisions. I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
Because being gay doesn’t hurt anyone. Being a pedophile does.