rockyhiker13:

C'mon, Mr. Saletan. Usually you are a thinker. This idea is a stinker.

I'll let that one slide.. ;)

rockyhiker13:

Tell me this: what do you say to people who think that 16-year-olds should not be responsible for murders they commit, because "their brains are not developed all the way"? If 16 is the "age of consent," then get ready for even more teen births, STDs, broken

But 16 is presently the "age of consent" in many places and in many other places it's younger than that.

So then, what exacty is your point?

Here are some arbitrary ages: 14, 17, 19.

The biggest problem in this area is what has been mostily ignored in comments.

Why should a 15 year-old having sex with a 18 year be a crime?

Or.. why should the penalty be the same as it it would be if the ages were 15 and 50?

Nobody should have a criminal record for having sex with someone 5 years their junior.

In some cases it may not be "morally correct" (depending on one's morals) but it should not be a crime. That just doesn't make sense.