23 JULY 1921, Page 3

On Friday, July I5th, the House of Commons gave a

second reading to the Criminal Law Amendment Bill. The discussion turned upon what in sexual offences should be regarded as the " age of consent " in a woman, and on the proposal to deprive men of the defence that they had " reasonable cause " to believe that a girl was over sixteen. We trust that this proposal will survive the attacks made upon it, and we also hope that the age of consent will be raised to eighteen.