Spousal Rape Essay - 964 Words

Can a husband rape his wife? I find myself amazed by the number of people who believe that they can’t. It seems, the common mindset is that when a man and woman marry, the woman somehow become the man’s property, for him to do with what he wants, whenever he wants, regardless of her feelings. Well, I disagree completely and feel it is my duty as a past victim of spousal rape, to set the record straight that rape is rape, regardless of marital status just as murder is murder regardless of marital or relationship status. I will define the legal definition of spousal/marital rape, briefly discuss the history, point out the differences in requirements and punishments for rape vs. spousal rape, and finally describe the effects spousal rape†¦show more content†¦As a result of the women’s movement, on July 5, 1993, spousal rape became a crime in all 50 states, under at least one section of the sexual offenses code (crisisconnection.org). In 17 states and t he District of Columbia, there are no exemptions from rape prosecution given to husbands (crisisconnection.org). However, in 33 states there are still exemptions given to husbands from rape prosecution which demonstrates that rape in marriage is somehow still considered a lesser offense than other types of rape. Some examples of the differences in treatment of rape of a spouse from that of a non-spousal rape include: a shorter reporting period for spousal rape (depending on the state, 30 days, 90 days or 1 year, as opposed to at least 3 years for non-spousal rape), the previously mentioned requirement of the presence of force or injury, and in some states, the requirement that the victim must be living separate from the offender for it to qualify as a crime. Not surprisingly, the punishment for a spousal rape also differs from that of a non-spousal rape. For example, rape of a spouse by force or deadly weapon is considered a felony, and is punishable by two to ten years in jail. However, the same acts against a person who is not the spouse of the offender results in a sentence of ten to thirty-five years (ncvc.org). Just imagine if these double standards were placed on other crimes, such as murder, child molestation, assault, etc. It paints a pretty scaryShow MoreRelatedMarital Rape An d Spousal Rape1552 Words   |  7 PagesChilds Professor Sherene Jensen Sociology 100 16 November 2014 Marital Rape Marital rape, or spousal rape, had been an exceedingly controversial and touchy subject in the United States since the first feminist movement in the 1960s. In this paper, marital rape and spousal rape will be used interchangeably. One of the many challenges in addressing the topic of marital rape, is defining what behaviors should be considered rape. 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