Britain to Clamp Down on Sex?

Every day, it seems, dawns with more bad news for freedom in England. Apparently, for any man foolish enough to have sex with a woman since 2003, the burden of proof has been on him to prove that he is not a rapist! Since intercourse has, apparently, continued there with alarming regularity anyway, the government has launched an aggressive public awareness program. Josie Appleton offers her thoughts on said hectoring and said law.

[T]he law casts all men as potential rapists - and uses a particularly low means of telling them so, through condom machines and posters on toilet walls.

Finally, the Sexual Offences Act 2003 has dangerous implications for legal rights. The presumption of innocence is in effect being overturned here, placing the burden of proof on the accused. As a result, innocent men could end up in jail. Rape is a very serious crime that carries a deservedly heavy sentence, and so it's important that guilt is proven 'beyond all reasonable doubt'. Rape should be distinguished from everyday, messy sex - sex that is regretted; sex that you didn't really want but went along with; sex that you were too drunk to remember.

In cases of rape - forced sex - there should be no confusion among the parties about the fact that a crime has been committed. The government's sex education programme can only sow seeds of confusion.

It was merely ridiculous when Antioch University had its students signing sexual consent forms, because nobody was making anyone attend. But we're talking about a government putting people in jail in this case.

-- CAV