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statutory rape and incest
'''Age of consent''' is a legal and moral principle. It presupposes that children and adolescents are not morally capable of making free choices.
'''Age of consent''' is a legal and moral principle. It presupposes that children and adolescents are not morally capable of making free choices (see also [[free will]]).
Not being able to make free choices absolves minors from adult guilt if they commit certain crimes. Either their parents will be held responsible, as in case of theft or vandalism, or the child will simply be considered "too young to know better".
Children cannot enter into binding contracts, are not permitted to drive cars on public roads, join the armed forces or get married. In the U.S., a parent may permit their 17-year-old child to join the armed forces. Various states differ as to what age a minor must be before their parents can permit them to marry.
When an adult seduces a minor, this is considered a crime because the child is not old enough to make such a weighty decision as to enter into a sexual relationship. The age of consent for this decision varies (see [[statutory rape]]). A parent who takes advantage of their child's innocence and inability to choose responsibility commits the crime of [[incest]] if they seduce their own offspring (it is also forbidden in the [[Bible]]).