I SEE there is a battle running, between the Government and the House of Lords, over the Bill to equalise the age of consent.

Fine, let's equalise it at 18.

After all, where is the sense in making it legal to have sex (whether heterosexual or homosexual) at 16, when it is still illegal to see a movie about having sex?

When you consider the range of things you are prohibited to do, below the age of 18, such as vote, drink alcohol, buy "adult" magazines/videos, or take out a loan, how can we say it is okay to have sex and become parents at 16?

If a sixteen-year-old person isn't considered mature enough to help decide who runs the country, how can they be mature enough to be parents?

T.R. Miles

Teak Street,

Bury.