"But I feel an obligation to an anonymous girl or two or three out there somewhere who might be saved from (at the least) having to keep a burdensome secret."

If there is a single girl out there who does not keep secrets from the world, then I'll eat my hat. Burdensome secret my ass... I don't like the thought of forcing a LG to keep such a secret, but I don't see it as being quite as horrendous as you do.

I do not intend to have sex with an underage girl, and I would discourage anyone from doing such for the reasons that are frequently stated here in multiple threads that do not belong to you. However, I also do not think adult-child sex is inherently a recipe for disaster in today's world. I think it can, and I imagine that it does happen with some level of success that is not inherently damaging.

It is a risk that you take, and it is not only yourself that you risk. The potential for damage to the child by the systems designed to "help" them is the greatest risk of all, and I do not desire to put any child through that, so I strive to refrain from the act. I also strive to obey all laws, even those that I feel are wrong and unjust, simply because it is part of my morals to follow the law while it exists. I would encourage this of anyone, but to condemn adult-child sex as you have done seems to me like it would be more likely seen as a challenge to anyone who is actually on that edge you speak of. If they are prepared to break the law and risk their girl, there is no doubt that they have planned it out. They certainly would see a possibility for success. When you sit there telling them "it just can't happen in today's world," do you think they're going to back down and say "oh, okay. I'll listen to Ethan," or do you think they'll say "I'll prove you wrong?" It is part of human nature to make possible that which has been declared impossible. Chastise all you want, but the wrong person might decide he wants to prove you wrong.