If two parties share consent and one says yes while the other says no, what is required?

If two parties share consent and one says yes while the other says no, what is required?

• A. Both must consent
• B. Only the one who said yes is needed
• C. The person with the higher rank decides
• D. Consent is not needed if one agrees

Answer: (A)

Consent has to be mutual and ongoing; all parties involved must freely agree at the moment of any action. When one person says yes and the other says no, there isn’t true, ongoing consent from everyone involved, so the activity cannot proceed. If one party withdraws consent, the agreement ends, and the action must stop.

That’s why the best answer is that both must consent. The idea that only the person who said yes is needed ignores the other person’s boundary, and the notion that rank or authority decides overrides consent and isn’t appropriate. Likewise, saying consent isn’t needed if one agrees contradicts the fundamental requirement that all participants must truly agree.