Sixteen-year-old Colleen provided day care for twelve-year-old Shane. The two began a sexual relationship that resulted in Colleen giving birth to a child when the mother and father were seventeen and thirteen years old, respectively. Although Shane was a victim of child abuse himself, a Kansas district court judge ordered him to pay $50 child support per month and found him financially responsible for over $7,000 in other assistance provided to the mother and baby in conjunction with the childbirth. Shane filed an appeal arguing that since he could not legally consent to sexual relations with Colleen, he should not be legally obligated to pay child support.
What public policies are in conflict in this case? How do you think the Kansas Supreme Court ruled and why?