A Parliament minister in Hungary, which is one of the most prolific porn producers in Europe, has inserted language into a draft of the larger penal code that would make it legal for Hungarians to make pornographic material with teens between 14 and 17, provided the teens are not related to or in the care of the pornographer and the material is not for commercial use.
"If we consider people 14 years of age to be mature enough to consent to sexual acts, then the chance to make picture recordings of this ... can also be allowed," Hungarian Justice Minister Jozsef Petretei said.
Detractors, most of them sputteringly incredulous that the state was even considering this, were able at least to say that the measure would create "a waiting room for prostitution".
This is my opinion, but I would assume that for such a proposal to be made - by the Justice Minister, no less - that porn involving 14-17-year-olds (if not younger) is already being produced to such an extent that the state feels the only way it can be controlled is to legalize and regulate it.
If the age of consent is 14 in that country, the idea of privately-held images of people acting out that consent shouldn't be shocking. After all, it's done that way here.
In the United States, it is illegal to shoot porn with a person under age 18 (and discussing this with a person under 18 is considered pandering), though the age of consent in many states is 17 or 16 (and, in the case of South Carolina, a very Hungarian 14). It is also my assumption that 18, the age of consent in porn groves Florida and California, is what determined the age of porn consent.
Can you imagine what would happen if it became legal to shoot 17-year-olds in the United States? Every copy of Barely Legal would spontaneously turn into a MILF title.
Many people in the adult industry believe that the age of porn consent should be 21. They argue that potential performers need a few years of having normal sex so that they aren't put on the fast track to rectal prolapse without having had a little time to figure out what their options really are.
I know plenty of mature and capable 18-21-year-olds, but I agree with this. It's arbitrary and in its arbitrariness unfair (and I know plenty of 30-year-old performers who are just as mature as an 18-year-old), but a waiting period between the age of consent and the age of one's first filmed gangbang is a smart idea.
In Hungary, Minister Petretei's portion of the draft will be voted on next week. It is hard not to make value judgments about this, despite the obvious trump card of having an age of consent that assumes maturity at 14. It's easy to imagine the malt shops and arcades of Budapest filling with newly-minted cameramen who just last week were pedophiles.
Previously: Glenn Beck: What's wrong with America; Report: Internet profitable; Why Johnny can't read; Girl, he be eating your pants; R. Kelly's brother: "I believe I can't lie"
See also: Hungary may legalize porn involving 14- to 17-year-olds for home use (usatoday)
