Age restrictions

Many representatives appear to support vote-16. However, consider that the ruling on the Bill of Rights must then apply also to all age restrictions and all become 16.

You need no parental supervision. You can have a gun licence and own and use a gun; join the military, go into operational theatre to shoot and be shot at; be judged as an adult in court and go to adult prison; make decisions about marrying, having children, contraception; buy alcohol at 16.

Child support payments should be removed when your child turns 16. To be fair, lower the driving age to 16. Remove wrap-around social support services specifically provided to 16-year-olds.

Remove the common defence in court that 16-year-olds’ rational decisionmaking and risk-taking has not fully developed. They do not fully understand the consequences of their decisions and risk-taking actions.

It is the Bill of Rights that needs to be changed, not the voting age. Or change all restrictions to 18. You can have your cake and eat it.

Bernard Jennings, Island Bay