A Wyandotte man running to unseat Democrat Rep. Debbie Dingell voiced an opinion on Facebook that is raising some eyebrows.
Tom Bagwell commented on a Facebook post regarding the story of a 24-year-old female teacher allegedly impregnated by her 13-year-old student.
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Bagwell commented saying: "Children should be protected as best we can. Unfortunately, the unintended consequences of government action often can cause more harm. We need reforms that make cases more subjective and look at each case separately rather than simple hard age cutoffs.
When pressed on it by another user, Bagwell continued: "Hard age of consent laws don't take into account the actual maturity of the child. Some teenagers are able to handle these relationships many can't. If there is actual abuse by all means charge with a crime, but it should not be a snap judgment.
The comments were made on the KPRC Facebook page.
Here are the exchanges below:
Bagwell, a Libertarian candidate, told CBS Detroit: "“Here is my quote on that, my stance is clearly that age of consent laws in this country need to be reformed,” he said on Friday. “My personal view is … they need to take into account the maturity level of the participants. Not every case is boiler plate."
“Most of the time it’s abuse, but there are times like this case in Texas where the case isn’t cut and dried. I think there’s more to it… Generally speaking teenagers who are responsible should be able to make choices.”