1) n. the crime of sexual intercourse (with actual penetration of a woman's vagina
with the man's penis) without consent and accomplished through force, threat of
violence or intimidation (such as a threat to harm a woman's child, husband or boyfriend).
What constitutes lack of consent usually includes saying "no" or being too drunk
or drug-influenced for the woman to be able to either resist or consent, but a recent
Pennsylvania case ruled that a woman must do more than say "no" on the bizarre theory
that "no" does not always mean "don't," but a flirtatious come-on. "Date rape" involves
rape by an acquaintance who refuses to stop when told to. Defense attorneys often
argue that there had to be physical resistance, but the modern view is that fear
of harm and the relative strengths of the man and the woman are obvious deterrents
to a woman fighting back. Any sexual intercourse with a child is rape and in most
states sexual relations even with consent involving a girl 14 to 18 (with some variation
on ages in a few states) is "statutory rape," on the basis that the female is unable
to give consent. 2) v. to have sexual intercourse with a female without her consent
through force, violence, threat or intimidation, or with a girl under age. Technically,
a woman can be charged with rape by assisting a man in the rape of another woman.
Dissatisfied with the typical prosecution of rape cases (in which the defense humiliates
the accuser, and prosecutors are unable or unwilling to protect the woman from such
tactics), women have been suing for civil damages for the physical and emotional
damage caused by the rape, although too often the perpetrator has no funds. Protection
services for rape victims have been developed by both public and private agencies.
On the other side of the coin, there is the concern of law enforcement and prosecutors
that women whose advances have been rejected by a man, or who have been caught in
the act of consensual sexual intercourse may falsely cry "rape. "
law dictionary, legal
dictionary, online law dictionary, legal terms dictionary,
online legal dictionary, legal definition, legal
terms and definition, Best online Dictionary, Law
Dictionary Software, Download Law Dictionary, law
dictionary, legal dictionary, online law dictionary,
legal terms dictionary, online legal dictionary,
legal definition, legal terms and definition, Best
online Dictionary, Law Dictionary Software, Download
Law Dictionary
