Incest 2-Way Street?

[beth]

Is Incest a Two-Way Street?
David Epstein is charged with having sex with his adult daughter. Isn't she guilty, too?

David Epstein, a 46-year old political science professor at Columbia University, has been charged with third-degree incest for allegedly having consensual sexual relations with his 24-year-old daughter. Under New York State law, a person is guilty of that crime when he or she has sex "with a person whom he or she knows to be related to him or her, whether through marriage or not, as an ancestor, descendant, brother or sister of either the whole or the half blood, uncle, aunt, nephew or niece." If the allegations are true, that would apply to Epstein—and also to his daughter. Why wasn't she charged for the crime as well?

Because she's seen as the victim. Prosecutors could have made a case against the daughter, but when it comes to incest, the authorities tend to focus on one party. In this situation, "consent" is irrelevant, since it's the act itself that constitutes the crime; and blame tends to fall on whichever half of the incestuous couple has more control. A law professor told Salon today that children are generally assumed to be part of a "protected class" even when they're above the age of consent. So the older party tends to be considered the guilty one, although in some cases—a man caring for his bedridden and elderly mother, for example—the ages of perceived control could be reversed.

In some cases, both parties are held accountable. Earlier this year, a 48-year-old man from Palm Coast, Fla., named Alton Everett Smith pleaded guilty to incest after impregnating his 27-year-old daughter. She, too, was charged with incest (after giving birth to her own half-brother) and is now serving five years of probation.* That's despite the fact that the father was clearly in control of the relationship: He was pimping her out for sex on Craigslist. According to court records, the daughter has a tattoo reading "Daddy's Girl" on her behind.

What happens in cases in which the power dynamic is less clear—as between similarly aged siblings? As a general rule, an older sibling will be in greater legal jeopardy than a younger one, and a brother gets more blame than a sister. In 2003, a football player named Tony Washington was convicted of engaging in sexual intercourse with his biological sister. At the time of the act, she was 15 and he was 16. While Washington pleaded guilty (and is now a registered sex offender) his sister was never charged.

www.slate.com/id/2277681/

[sadie]

Ok...first of all......ewwwwwwwwwwwwww

I can see how they would consider that the child would be led.....or could be controlled by the parent. Have no idea what the relationship was like growing up.....but you can probably bet it wasn't too normal......and was probably laying the ground work for control then.........

The Everett case.......disturbing all the way around.

[beez0811]

I think I need to dive into a pool of bleach after doing a lice treatment. I also kind of puked in my mouth.

This made me think of I'm My Own Grandpa by Ray Stevens.

[Erasmus]

It's last week or so I think that the newspapers were reporting a brother & sister married in a foreign country that doesn't look into background.

They are adult. I find acceptance of a relative to love far more acceptable that rejection in advance because another is not of one's owns sex. Celibacy-homosexuality-racism, that is all variations on rejection when after all, we do not leap at everybody, but normally only hold the option open without pre-determined rejection because they are different. Homosexists and racists close tha option to anybody different from themself. That is far fouler than making love with a relative, that we think nothing of at all, and even demand in pedigree animals. If it's good enough for our pets, why not for us?

[mouse]

as the female is an adult why isnt she guilty too...perhaps she is mentally disabled
and why is it not good enough for us erasmus.....congenital idiocy and other inherited by products...inbreeding is not good for the human race as a whole
and in the uk costs a fortune dealing with the results of in breeding especially in the immigrant community who apear to think it aceptable for members of the same family to marry each other generation after generation

[fretslider]

The very idea of having anyone in the family causes me to upchuck.

I guess it takes all sorts. Yuk.

[beth]

Dec 16, 2010 3:49:14 GMT -5 mouse said:

as the female is an adult why isnt she guilty too...perhaps she is mentally disabled
and why is it not good enough for us erasmus.....congenital idiocy and other inherited by products...inbreeding is not good for the human race as a whole
and in the uk costs a fortune dealing with the results of in breeding especially in the immigrant community who apear to think it aceptable for members of the same family to marry each other generation after generation

In our society, no matter the age, a parent is considered the role model and the "child" ... even an adult child .. the dependant. It seems to stem from long held tradition and may never change. I'm not sure it should change. Thankfully there is no public support for this sort of thing. It will always be considered deviate, and should be. jmo

[aubrey]

"Oh, you're much better than Pa!"
"That's what Ma says."