[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by Livia

I'm going to say this again: sixteen year olds cannot join the army without parental consent, and then only for training. They don't fight on the front line until they are 18 years old and an adult so I do wish people would stop using the old "they're old enough to join the army" chestnut. If we're going to assume that they're fully cooked at 16 and give them the vote, then why bother with parental consent for marriage? Why keep them out of armed conflict until they're 18? Maybe let them drive a car at 16 too? No. Because they are not adults.

I take that on board completely but I do also stand firm on that if a 16 year old wants to get married and have a child they can do so, yes with permission but they can be in a situation where they actually are a Family and have bills to pay and a home to run and even work to do too.
I wouldn't deny them a right to a vote in an election,I was very politically aware when I was 16 and would have loved to have the vote then too.

I also agree with your point as to the joining of the armed forces, I think it totally right that 16 year olds are not sent to the front line.
However being in the armed forces is a dangerous place to be at any age and as was shown this year, you don't even need to be doing anything as to defending at home or anywhere else in the World or in fact even be armed yet still get killed for being a Soldier.