Department of Justice rewrites rape law to include males as victims
The Department of Justice released a revised legal definition of rape which, for the first time, will include men as victims.
Written in 1929, the FBI’s definition of rape was ‘the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will.” This outdated meaning completely left out males as victims as well as females as the perpetrators.
Rape will now be classified as “penetration no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with an body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person without the consent of the victim.” This definition is much more inclusive and enforces rape as a crime even when the victim is unable to give their consent.
CNN explains this could include those with a mental or physical disability as well as those who are intoxicated. Because of these changes, it does not require the victim to physically resist in order to deny consent.
Vice President Joe Biden explained, “This long-awaited change to the definition of rape is a victory for women and men across the country whose suffering has gone unaccounted for over 80 years.” The Department of Justice believes the new definition of rape will aid in calculating more accurate statistics of rape in the United States.
The Associated Press reports this new definition will not alter laws on a federal or a state level.
