OSLO, June 6 (Reuters) - Norway strengthened its rape laws on Friday by criminalising sex without explicit consent, joining a growing list of countries to widen the definition of sexual attacks. Up to now, prosecutors have had to show that an attacker used violence or threatening behaviour, or had sexual intercourse with someone who was unable to resist, to secure a conviction for rape.
Under the new law passed by parliament, anyone who has sex with someone who has not consented to it by word or deed could be convicted of rape, even without violence. Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland have all introduced consent-based rape laws in recent years. Sweden changed the legal definition of rape in 2018 to sex without consent - a change that officials said resulted in a 75% rise in rape convictions. Denmark followed in 2020 by passing a law that widened the circumstances that could constitute rape.
Wait, it was LEGAL before?
No, just defined differently de jure. Before, you had to explicitly disagree for it to be nonconsensual, now you have to explicitly agree for it to be consensual. It went from opt-out to opt-in practice, if you will. Consent was regarded to be implicit, if you did not make it clear you didn’t consent.
So, terrible law got corrected.
A legal definition has changed (improved and corrected, you could say).
Couldn’t even get through the summary, eh?
Consented by word or deed? I’ve always assumed that was the standard, period.
Again I say, IT WAS LEGAL BEFORE TO HAVE SEX WITH SOMEONE WHO HASN’T CONSENTED?
No. Don’t try to twist this into something that it’s not.
“Up to now, prosecutors have had to show that an attacker used violence or threatening behaviour, or had sexual intercourse with someone who was unable to resist, to secure a conviction for rape.”
“Under the new law passed by parliament, anyone who has sex with someone who has not consented to it by word or deed could be convicted of rape, even without violence.”
Why am I the only one who’s shocked that this wasn’t already the law?
Because of https://feddit.uk/comment/17905892
No it was not legal, it was a very serious offence carrying a prison sentence. The law just didn’t call that situation “rape” before.
Thank you for answering my question.
What was it called, if you don’t mind me asking?
Translating legal terms is hard, but it is something like “grave sexual coercion/assault”
That’s how the state of Texas in the US ended all rape. The governor declared rape was illegal, even though it already was, and suddenly there is no more rape.
And that’s why Texas abortion prohibition doesn’t need an exclusion for rape, because the governor declared rape was illegal and now there is no more rape.
Texas Republicans are pretty magical like that.