By "intrinsic right" do you mean a legally-enforceable right such as a right under the US Constitution? "Intrinsic" usually means a "natural, essential" right which exists everywhere, regardless of political/legal system. The issue here is that parents are also commonly asserted to have an "intrinsic right" to raise their children in the manner that they see fit. Here in the USA this "parental rights doctrine" has been strongly supported by the courts, although it's worth noting that parents who wish to raise their children in a more sexually-liberated manner are NOT allowed the same "parental rights" as more conservative parents. I would say YES that boys have the right to sexual exploration and experimentation with whomever they choose UNLESS the parents object and UNLESS the State under its duty of Parens Patriae has a reasonable objection. I hate to bring the State into this, but there has to be some way to protect the child from his own parents or from being exploited by other adults. And what to do IF the parents or State should object? Ideally, there would be some sort of arbitration of this dispute in a neutral forum such as Family Court. See TPKA Silverspoon's excellent question In lieu of an Age of Consent linked below. Will |