system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
CMV: I think that laws against having sex with someone at the age of 18 are almost completely arbitrary.

The idea that as soon as you reach the age of 18 you are now able to have sex with whoever you want is insane, given that 1 day prior, having sex with him/her would put them in jail for a long time.  The idea that a single day can make you an 'adult' is pretty stupid.

In addition many countries (e.g. Canada) have set the age at 16 (which was moved relatively recently, from 14).

Now, the simplest objection is, that one has to draw a line somewhere; and hence it's reasonable to make it the same date when you become a voting adult.  While an age is fine as a heuristic, shouldn't courts be looking specifically at whether the person is mature enough to be making the decision?  Indeed, courts are able to try minors as adults if they feel it warrants it.
gpt
>While an age is fine as a heuristic, shouldn't courts be looking specifically at whether the person is mature enough to be making the decision?

No, because courts have to err in favor of the defendant. If the legal standard is maturity, and there's any reasonable doubt that the victim was too immature, the court must acquit. The only way to err in favor of potential victims is to set an arbitrary line like this.