An unusual legislative proposal by a group of female legislators in Costa Rica would send an adult five years older than his or her sex partner to jail.

According to a recent news report filed by Bharley Quiros, a reporter covering the Legislative Assembly beat for La Prensa Libre (the oldest news publication in operation in Costa Rica), the proposal seeks to amend the Criminal Code by incorporating the following:

Article 159 – Sexual Relations With Minors

Whomever experiences consensual carnal knowledge, be it orally, anally or vaginally, with an underage person, will face the following prison sentences:

1 – Three to six years in prison when the victim is older than 13 but younger than 15, or when the sexual perpetrator is five years older.

It quickly becomes obvious that the intent of the proposal is to punish improper relationships between adults and minors; however, there is a problem with the poorly drafted proposal, which in Spanish reads as if anyone who is five years older than his or her partner will end up in jail after a sexual encounter.

At this point, the endorsers of the proposal are all women, and one of them has admitted to the confusing draft. Legislator Emilia Molina of the ruling Citizen Action Party (Spanish initials: PAC) admits that the proposal may seem extreme, but the idea is to begin a debate to address the problem of consensual relationships that are improper.

Milena Grillo, President of the Paniamor (Bread and Love) Foundation, which works with the United Nations in matters related to children and families, added that there is an unspoken problem in Costa Rica when you see a 29-year old male marrying a 17-year old female.

Libertarian Movement leader Otto Guevara explained that the proposal would need some major work before it can be considered open for deliberation. He sees a problem with a 22-year old female going to prison for six years after having sex with a 17-year old male (or even female).

Some legislators have hurried to explain that the early draft needs to be amended so as to not cause panic among women in Costa Rica who are seeking relationships with younger men. This is an ongoing trend that was epitomized in Costa Rica back in April, when an attractive female television host, who is 42 years old, married a dashing man in his early 30s. Since then, some women in Costa Rica are feeling empowered to seek younger men; which is a role reversal for our country.