What is the age of consent in washington state

By Jessica Gillespie. In Washington, it is illegal for an adult someone 18 or older to have sex with a minor someone younger than 16 , even if the sex is consensual. The state also forbids certain sexual contact and intercourse between minors who are more than a certain number of years apart in age. Those who break the law have committed statutory rape.

The WSPA Ethics Committee is frequently asked about confidentiality issues related to minors between years of age. Who holds the privilege in such cases? RCW Parental authorization, or authorization from a person who may consent on behalf of the minor pursuant to RCW 7. This means that while Washington state law allows minors years of age to request and receive treatment without parental consent, it does not grant them complete confidentiality.

Generally speaking, the age at which someone can legally consent to sex in Washington is 16, so having sex with anyone younger than 16 is usually illegal for an adult who is not close in age to a young person. There are even some situations where another minor could face criminal charges for having sex with someone under The law has laid out a few circumstances where even a person who is 16 or 17 is deemed unable to legally consent to sex. This usually has more to do with the characteristics of the other person than the or year-old.

The Washington Age of Consent is 16 years old. In the United States, the age of consent is the minimum age at which an individual is considered legally old enough to consent to participation in sexual activity. Individuals aged 15 or younger in Washington are not legally able to consent to sexual activity, and such activity may result in prosecution for statutory rape. Washington statutory rape law is violated when a person has consensual sexual intercourse with an individual under age