Hello! My name is Raven, and I’m a high school student in Friday Harbor, but I grew up in Southern California where the legal age of consent is 18. I have always assumed that that was the age of consent across the United States. After all, it makes sense to have 18 as the age of consent. You can’t adopt a child before you’re 18 because the law does not see minors as capable of caring for a child.

Despite this, the age of consent in Washington, along with 30 other states, is 16. Six of these states have already completely banned abortion and several others have restrictions. If kids are incapable of caring for children why force us to birth one? Why allow us to engage in activities with adults that could result in pregnancy?

Thank you,

Raven Velasquez,

San Juan Island