MtheGM: Before the law came interfering, men without morals were raping girls wantonly. Of COURSE the age of consent is a man-made construct... but, based on information we know now about brain development through the teenage years into early adulthood, the age should probably be raised to at least 21.

Problem is, if we raise it to 21, too many young men and women will object (and, besides, the government would never do the comparable thing -- raise the minimum age for signing up in the military to 21! They WANT kids who don't have their full powers of reasoning!).