Losing one's virginity is a major milestone in anyone's life. For women, having a child completely changes their lives. Forever.

But my major concern is that young children can be easily manipulated by a more adult mind. From what I know now I could probably talk a 12 year old girl out of her pants in a very short period of time. And there is no other way to describe that than an innocent and naive child being manipulated by a dirty old pervert.

The same rules apply for a 30 year old man and a girl 16. It is just wrong. Or older woman and boy.

Of course different people grow up at different rates, both physically, emotionally, and intellectually. I don't believe physical development is debatable, as my long-gone disgusting ex-co-worker used to say "if they are old enough to bleed, they are old enough to breed". It is a pretty greasy way to describe a standard, but it does apply.

But for me the debate comes down to when a child has matured (intellectually and emotionally) enough to comprehend the consequences of having sex. And has the tools to deal with it.

I may come across as a prude, but IMO the age of consent should be 18. The same standard should apply across the board. The age when one can drink, serve in the military, and be over the age of consent should all be the same.

It comes down to the adage "we must protect our children".

It was not long ago (unfortunately this is still practiced in some parts of the world) where females were considered breeding factories. As soon as her body is capable, start pumping out the babies. But there were reasons for that. Infant mortality was high, and a growing workforce was beneficial to the community. But for developed nations and communities, that requirement is no longer required. The world has changed from those days. We have addressed (and hopefully are solving) such issues as slavery. Just because it was practiced hundreds of years ago that does not make it right today.

I do community work, and I come into frequent contact with very young children. I can intellectually understand why they are desirable, so beautiful, full of life and energy. But they are children, naive and easily manipulated.

We must protect our children.

Is Florida joining the 21st Century?

Forced to marry her rapist at 11, woman finally changes Florida marriage law
USA Today NetworkBrendan Farrington, Associated Press Published 10:30 a.m. ET March 10, 2018

"TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A woman who was 11 when she was forced to marry her rapi"st has worked for six years to ban child marriages in Florida. On Friday, she was hailed as a hero after the Legislature passed a bill prohibiting marriage for anyone under 17.

Currently, 16- and 17-year-olds can marry with the consent of both sets of parents. If a pregnancy is involved, there’s no minimum age for marriage if a judge approves. A legislative staff analysis showed that between 2012 and 2016, 1,828 marriage licenses were issued in Florida to couples when at least one party was a minor. That includes a 13-year-old, seven 14-year-olds and 29 15-year-olds.

Read more: Elementary school teacher arrested for coaching boys to perform sexual acts, take photos

In one case, a 14-year-old married a 15-year-old and in another, a man over the age of 90 was able to marry a girl who was 16 or 17 years old. In some cases, girls were allowed to marry men more than twice their age."

Edited format.