To be disgusted that Dr Christian Jessen considers some kinds of child rape to be morally excusable on cultural grounds

[frankexchangeofviews]

I’ve just seen this exchange between ‘tv celebrity’ doctor Christian Jessen and an other Dr who is a spokesman for the Green Party on twitter. Are they saying what I think they are saying? Child’s marriage is recognised as a crime worldwide that needs to be stopped , not condoned on the basis of cultural relativism. Maybe they think african girls don’t mind as much???? Or are happy to be mothers at 13. I can’t get my head around it at all.

Talking about tackling it, great.
Talking about why its unacceptable, great.

Have they done that? No.

Christian has just said that its different.

Not wrong, not unacceptable, not something that needs tackling or changing, just different.

He has been asked repeatedly for years if he thinks its unacceptable and refuses to answer.

So, again, why are they talking about having sex with children?

I haven't read anything he has said that approves of 12 year olds marrying in Niger. The Uk introduced an age of consent of 12 in about 1200 and then raised it to 13 in 1875 and raised oto 16 in 1885.

In my view 13 is too young and 16 is about right which is also our youngest age for marriage and reflects girls' developing bodies etc. I don't think 15 is necessarliy wrong but 16 is safer.
On marriage it was only in 1929 I think we moved from a position where you had to be 12(fmeale) and 14 (male) to marry to a law where if you were under 16 the marriage was voidable.

I remember as a teenager reading the little house on the prairie book written about a childhood in the 1860s/70s in the US where one of the girls they know is married at 13 just like her mother had been and even then it was regarded far too early due to responsibliilities and having babies amongst the other teenagers but not objected to by them on grounds of breach of law or damage to health or risks in childbirth.

Oh and obstetric fistulas are openings between the vagina and the bowel. It's fecal matter that comes through the vagina. Most commonly found in young teenagers.

I donate to this organisation.

www.fistulafoundation.org/what-is-fistula/fast-facts-faq/

To characterise THEIR CONCERN for child sexual abuse as vile misogyny says a great deal about you.

They don’t have any concern for it that’s the point. Christian just questions whether a man who marries a 12 yr old in Niger should be labelled a paeodphile. Dr Harrop whinges about imposing Western values on the ‘global south’. Neither of them mention the childen involved at all.

I hadn't read your previous post Chaplin so I apologise for misunderstanding your use of 'younger ages'. I'm not sure what the relevance is though, given we're not talking about 19 year olds, we're talking about pubescent girls

And that is misogyny.

Still waiting for the quote of where either of them said it was ok. Many of you have repeatedly asserted that they both said it was ok, so you should be able to show us all where?

He has been asked repeatedly for years if he thinks its unacceptable and refuses to answer

the answer is linked to on this very thread, saying that it isn't

hadn't read your previous post Chaplin so I apologise for misunderstanding your use of 'younger ages'. I'm not sure what the relevance is though, given we're not talking about 19 year olds, we're talking about pubescent girls

It’s her own fault tbh her post was not clear. The example in the OP is 12, so 19 year olds are not relevant. She mentioned fistulas earlier but not other complications of young teenage pregnancy.

here's the actual posts from 2016

random poster: "Deeply concerned that anyone has excuses for this man. She is a child end of. Very unprofessional opinion."

[the original context is lost but seems to be referring to an adult male having a relationship with a 15 year old girl, and Dr. Christian is naturally busily making excuses for the man twitter.com/DoctorChristian/status/711136057572659200 ]

Dr. Christian: "as predicted, you misunderstood. No one made excuses for him. Instead we have questioned the law and our faux-morality"

random poster: "I feel you are just after a reaction. Of course it's just a social construct but having worked with young people"

2nd random poster "what exactly do you mean it's a social construct? Do you mean in regard to those who are Gillick competent?"

Dr. christian "Is the man in Niger who marries 12 year old child bride as per cultural traditional a paedophile in the same sense?"

@Hyppolyta he is raising issues and said he has been fighting against this abuse. He’s saying he is against it without shoving it in your face.

Whereas he hasn’t uttered a word in the opposite direction saying it’s okay.

Also, where has he refused to comment for years about it? Link? First I’ve heard of this. After a quick google and twitter search I’ve found that he’s raised the issue, rather than avoided it

YANBU - he is a vile misogynist. He is all about courting controversy these days and being abusive towards women on twitter.

Both those doctors are gay men. I wonder what they think about imposing western values on the "global south" when it comes to criminalisation of homosexuality. I suspect they would have a different approach.

I really wouldn't call "bring it, bitches" abusive

@TerfinUSA You’ve just condensed a conversation to fit your narrative

It was in response to a comment by another poster who spoke about higher risks in teen pregnancy. I was trying to make the point that 18 or 19 is a very different scenario from 11, 12 or 13.

A teenage female doesn't stop developing her skeleton, especially the pelvis, until the age of late teenage, usually 18/19. To have a pregnancy during this developmental stage is storing problems for later pregnancies and later life. A 13 year old having a baby is considered a high risk pregnancy.

You people do understand that the point made was AGAINST child marriage, not FOR it? Or it seems you don't....

The man is a twat for all kinds of reasons, but you've majorly fucked up your interpretation on this one.

It's worth reading this Twitter thread to see how two people with far more experience and expertise in this issue than CJ perceive what he and another Dr have said about this: mobile.twitter.com/NimkoAli/status/994468104238485504

If that’s what you were trying to say your post was not very articulate Charleston.

We’re talking about very young teenagers 12,13 etc. Of course childbirth becomes less risky as girls get older.

But even late teens have poorer outcomes for mother and baby just from immaturity.

Also, how is calling women 'bitches' not abusive?

Can you expand on that Twitter feed ProfessionalBarren ?

I find it particularly concerning in the light of his support for the use of pornography in schools as a sex education tool. All smacks of pushing the boundaries much too far.

No, it is not certainly clear charleston, you said The human body is designed to cope with pregnancy best at younger ages, including the later teen years.
Now you are backtracking more than somewhat,. At no point did you say 'young women' in the post in question.
And in any case this is definitely NOT the same as 12-13, which is the ages they were talking about.
As for telling Orchid to 'calmly read' what you have written. It's so fucking patronising I half suspected you're David Cameron.

Yes, I would be interested in their views on the treatment of homosexuals in 'the global south'.

Dr Christian lost me at 'let's show porn in schools'.

Bit confused by the first tweet. Isn't "paedophile" a term for someone who is attracted to pre-pubescents? True, someone could marry a child because that is normal in their sciety, without having any particular sexual interest in pre-pubescents. I can only assume first poster is not using it as a technical term, but more in the colloquial sense, which is not what I would expect from a doctor?

Anyway, generally speaking I would judge people differently depending on whether their actions take place within a context of "normalcy" of those actions, within their own particular bubble of time and cultural zeitgeist.

That isn't to say I wouldn't try to stop them, and if that can be spun as someone from the West "impoising" their morality on other cultures, well so be it.