State legislators recently approved a bill filed and fought for by Sen. Joan Lovely that officially closes an age of consent loophole in Massachusetts to better protect 16- and 17-year-olds from sexual abuse.
The bill stipulates that while the state’s age of consent is 16, children under the age of 18 cannot consent to a sexual relationship with an adult who is a mandated reporter, has authority over them or is in a position of trust.
This means counselors, coaches, teachers and other adults who work with or around children who are 16 and 17 years old, and had sexual contact with a child of this age, can no longer claim it was a consensual encounter. Even if a sexual relationship with a child of this age has ended, under the bill, the adult cannot use that fact as a defense.
The bill also prevents these cases from being continued without a finding or placed on file, a major win for those seeking justice for this type of child sexual abuse.
“For too long, our laws have allowed adults in positions of authority and trust to exploit the very children they are supposed to protect and then hide behind a claim of consent. That ends now,” Lovely said in a statement.
“No figure of authority should ever be able to groom or assault a young person and walk away without accountability. Closing this loophole has been one of the most personal and important fights of my career, and I am proud that we got it done for the children and families of the Commonwealth.”