(Indianapolis, IN) - A local lawmaker wants to raise the age of consent to 18.

 

Currently, the legal age in Indiana for a child to consent to sex is 16.

 

State Senator Mike Bohacek of Michiana Shores has presented a bill that raises the age of consent to 18 and make it a crime for anyone 22 and over to have sex, fondle or intimately touch with an individual under 18.

 

Bohacek said one of the purposes of the proposal is to provide consistency in the law books.

 

Right now, he said the age of consent in the state is 16 but it’s also against law the Indiana to take intimate photographs and video images of children who are 16, “meaning it is ok to be in a relationship with this.   That’s a contradiction,” he said.

 

The bill must be approved by the Senate and House before it can be considered by the Governor.  Bohacek said he expects little push back on the measure from the legislature, which is now in session until the end of April.