Quote Originally Posted by vistana
One thing that I feel is worth mentioning here - In Canada the word rape has been removed from the Criminal Code, because it has such a strong emotional connotation attached. Instead they use various degress of sexual assault.
Actually it was the Canadian legislation that started the debate about redefining rape here and recatagorizing degrees of sexual assault. The idea being that a jury is usually reluctant to convict a date rape where there is a significant degree of doubt and a perceived culpability (OK. I know that is provocative but I'm only the messenger) on behalf of the woman because the jury tends to compare it with a violent rape by a stranger. The thinking is that redefining and relabeling degrees of rape, that association will be broken, making juries more willing to convict without denying the defendent of a right to defence.

I think politics has got in the way of that debate being taken any further because everything has gone quiet. Ironically there are women's pressure groups that want to keep rape as rape because that is the crime they feel is being committed and the offender should have the full shame of the crime. Most of the more violent rapists I worked with are totally unphased by being labelled rapists so their argument is rather self defeating. I suppose that is the problem with this whole debate, it is so emotive it is difficult to be rational about it.