Good points, all.
Part of my problem with this sort of thing is, I am a scientist (a REAL scientist) and I find it hard to "legitimize" anything in psych., etc. as remotely "scientific". The way my mind works is, I automatically view all this hoopla as folks piddling around trying to validate their opinions (under duress of sociopolitical activism, no less). That's all this is-- a sociopolitical exercise. Nothing scientific, or even academic, about it.
Before I got all riled up about NAMBLA roaming the streets looking for whom it may devour, I reminded myself that the age-of-consent issue is one that will preclude the legalization of pedophilia, as far as the law is concerned. At least for a while. With these recent attempts by PP et al. to do away with parental consent requirements for medical procedures like teen abortions, e.g., one has to wonder, however. I am still recovering from last night's beans and Stoli but I think that for some reason, activists of all stripes are working to make children out to be autonomous in matters of sex and reproduction, two areas in which even the most mature of us have a hard time negotiating in life. Just something that has been knocking around in my head lately, trying to understand what I see as a trend...
Homo-activists have had as part of their platform to eliminate or lower the age of consent. In 1972 they officially wanted to eliminate it but since that was too extreme for societal acceptance they decided to lower it gradually. Check out Europe's age of consent laws - I believe the Netherland's is something like 12.