How does this protect a woman?

**Wruinin** · 06-11-2010 12:51 PM

Although I consider myself someone who supports womens' rights and equality of chances in life and hate stereotypes about women etc. I still cannot figure out what that power abuse stuff is about these days. I read everywhere that teacher/student, doctor/patient, therapist/client relationships are based on abusing power and that one partner is a victim and has to be protected by law and is protected in some countries. If we talk poor teenage girls at schools who become victims of bad predator/type teachers who lure them to have sex with them and leave them confused, then ok, that makes sense. But what about adult people, where she and he both want to have a full commited relationship and possibly start a family. Why on earth is that illegal?

An example, and very puzzling for me. I have two friends, both are over 50 years old, both have adult children. He is a Buddhist teacher and she met him at one of those Buddhists retreats where he taught Buddhism. After some time they met privately and gradually began dating as they found out they liked each other. Now they are living together and have a full commited relationship, both are very happy.

Now imagine this is truly ilegal. He met her as a teacher. Sorry, lady, although you are over 50, condifent, mature, experienced woman, you became a victim of a sex predator who abused his power over you. OMG. Holy , what kind of law is this? Is he going to jail or something? Incredible. how does this protect women's rights, I have no idea, only it harms an adult woman, who is not allowed to choose a partner.

What do you think as a woman? Do you think she is a victim, although at last she found a man worth spending time with after years of loneliness and frustration?

**kira** · 06-11-2010 01:49 PM

The only laws I know of against such relationships are either applying to minors or they exist because it could complicate the person's job. A teacher might give a student better grades or a therapist or doctor might have trouble treating a patient objectively and make mistakes. The laws aren't there to protect one gender or the other but to stop unfair treatment or actions that might cost someone their job.

**sourpuss** · 06-11-2010 02:53 PM

Where do they live? That situation is not illegal in the US.

**Hopeless Dork** · 06-11-2010 03:02 PM

Adult teacher/ Adult student is a whole lot different than Doctor/Patient.

**Wruinin** · 06-11-2010 04:56 PM

They live in the UK, but I hear not only there but also in some US states such relationships are illegal. A Buddhist teacher dating a Buddhist student or any religious teacher starting this with a member of that community is illegal. Doctors, patients etc, the same thing. It seems that these laws are not known to general public yet.

**LanaBear** · 06-11-2010 05:10 PM

In the US, it is illegal if the student is a minor... But not if the student is an adult. However, that is not to say universities and such do not have policies in place that prevent their professors getting romantically involved with their students (over 18). Most universities look down upon it and will quickly dismiss the professor from their duties.

**sourpuss** · 06-12-2010 10:27 AM

Are they in a university? Those laws are really only in government institutions. Sounds like it's a private business/school, they are both adults, therefore, not illegal.

**Wruinin** · 06-13-2010 09:40 AM

No, they are in a Buddhist community. I think within Christian church it is illegal for a priest to start a relationship with a person from that religious community, the same thing in Buddhism, in England, but that's what seems like a total nonsense. In the US such a thing is indeed illegal in some states. But why?

**jns** · 06-13-2010 12:16 PM

Many times bad laws are made to address a real problem. The reason the law is bad is because it is often times too broad in its scope. Therefore it makes illegal that which should not be illegal.

In trying to find out the basis of the OP's original questions, I found that Texas seems to have a law that makes a educator-student relationship a felony, at any age, as of September 1, 2003. I don't have information if this law is still active. If the term educator is used too broadly, it would encompass all religious leaders. Religious leaders customarily find their spouses among those who believe their message. This makes an interesting dilemma and a conflict between church and state.

Wruinin, what laws are you talking about specifically. What terms would be used to find out about them? I'm already aware of ones about an under-aged student.

**Wruinin** · 06-13-2010 12:32 PM

I mean this case, this is a quote from wikipedia:

Sexual misconduct is misconduct of a sexual nature. It may be used to expres disapproval, but in some jurisdictions it has also a legal meaning.

In legal sense, for a person in a position of authority it includes in particular any sexual activity between him or her and one of his or her subordinates. This commonly includes teachers and their students, doctors and their patients, and employers and their employees. While such activity is usually not explicitly illegal, it is often against professional codes of ethics. For example, a teacher may be fired and a doctor may have his or her medical license revoked because of sexual misconduct. In addition, the person in the subordinate position may allege sexual harassment.

Entering a sexual relationship with a subordinate, even when the contact is initiated by the latter, is unethical because of the subordinate's vulnerability to the physician and the inequality of power that characterizes the relationship. In the case of the doctor-patient relationship, having a sexual relationship with the patient even after the professional relationship has concluded remains problematic for the physician because of the potential for the patient's continuing dependence on and transference towards the physician. Therefore, sexual relationships with former patients are considered unethical when physicians “use or exploit the trust, knowledge, emotions or influence derived from the previous professional relationship” in any way.[1]