It is positively sickening that any government could even think about making sex with a
consenting 12 year old legal - how dare they. Pesumably they either have no daughters of
their own - or they are promiscuous. Worse still, perhaps the law makers themselves have
the tendency to stalk young girls - or boys.

Many 12 year olds certainly have the capacity to become sexually active and might look older and try to behave as if they are - but they are still children. Yes - a 12 year old is still achild regardless of what they themselves think, look or behave. Legislators need to remove their blinkers.

A lonely or insecure child could easily be coerced into having sex when what they are looking for is parental love or acceptance in their peer group. Or a young model (and many of them are far too young) could easily get caught up in the "fame game" and be taken advantage of - or bribed "sex for favours" to reach their dream of becoming a top model (but thats a whole different issue).

What does it do to a young mind when they finally realise what they have consented to - that their "consenting" sex was nothing to do with love or acceptance, rather, abuse and deceipt. How will this affect the child's life. The law makers will then, no doubt, offer counselling>

NO - lets get real about this whole issue. Society is about protecting children from predators (and sometimes themselves) and any man or woman who sexually abuses a child should be jailed - perhaps even castrated. Gang rape should demand the death penalty.