Consent means permission. Coercion is not the same as consent. Many sexual crimes in Maryland include the term "without the consent of the other person" as an element or condition of the crime. There is not universal agreement on what is necessary for a victim to do or say in order to demonstrate their lack of consent. Some think a simple "no" should be enough, while others think that yelling, screaming and physical resistance should be the standard. Ultimately the judicial system and the courts will decide whether a victim’s behavior and/or words constitute the lack of consent in the case they are hearing.

There are protections for those whose capacity to consent is permanently or temporarily impaired. The terms used and defined in the Maryland statutes are: "Mentally Defective Individual," "Mentally Incapacitated Individual" and "Physically Helpless Individual". Individuals meeting these criteria are considered incapable of consenting to sexual activity.

The age of consent in Maryland is 16 for vaginal, oral and anal intercourse and 14 for sexual touching and fondling. At age 16 there are no age limitations as to how much older a sexual partner may be. Under age 16 or 14 (depending on the sexual activities involved) there are restrictions to engaging in sexual activities with anyone 4 or more years older.

The Sexual Assault Legal Institute (SALI) is a part of the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA). They provide direct civil legal services for victims and survivors of sexual assault. SALI also provides technical assistance and training for attorneys, rape crisis and recovery center staff and volunteers and professionals working with survivors. The SALI portion of the MCASA web site has detailed information about consent and the Maryland statutes defining sexual crimes. They are available to answer specific questions about those statures.