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Yes, but at certain ages, “consensual” becomes hard to define. If a man says to a two-year-old girl, “do you want to have sex with me?” and the toddler replies “yes,” because he used a charming tone of voice, she clearly did not agree to the sexual act with any knowledge of what she was getting herself into. Now, a case like this may seem clear-cut – as may an example concerning a 15-year-old girl who is madly in love with her 20-year-old boyfriend and fully knowledgeable of the risks of sexual intercourse and willing to take part in it – but there reaches a point where it gets hazy. How can we differentiate between an 11-year-old who really wants to have sex and one who agrees because she’s scared? Or even between a 9-year-old who knows all about sex and one who agrees because he or she has no idea what it even is? When we get down to the single-digits, it may seem obvious: no one that young is capable of making a fully conscious, informed decision as to whether or not he or she wants to have sex. Or are there rare exceptions? See, if there were no laws, there would be a blurry line spanning from age 9 to 20, because it varies so much on a case-to-case basis. That’s why we have to have a law that sets down the line. (And keep in mind, the age of consent in most states is 16 or so; 18 is just the national law. Other countries have even lower ones.) </p>
<p>Honestly, an underage-overage couple that really wants to is going to have sex despite what the laws say. They only have to worry about it if, say, the younger one’s parents get mad and try to arrest the older one. So they’d better keep it secret…</p>