Distinction between choice and consent

Trippy distinction on the morality of arranged marriages:

In the matter of consent in marriage, the distinction is important. It is too easy to pour scorn on arranged marraiges as sub-Christian. On the contrary, arranged marraiges in some cultures may sometimes be wise and loving arrangements - so long as the couple themselves freely consent to the arrangement. They must be free to consent or to refuse any marriage that is proposed. This is in principle not very different from the freedom of a woman to accept or refuse a proposal of marriage from a man. She is not (in most cultures) free to say, 'No, won't marry you, but I will marry John Smith whom I prefer'.
(from Marriage by C. Ash, p. 230)