By Hannah Webster
“North Carolina is the only state in U.S. where no doesn’t mean no,” Sen. Jeff Jackson, D-North Carolina District 37, said in an interview with the Fayetteville Observer.
A 1979 North Carolina law rules that a person cannot be charged with rape even if the other person revokes consent during sex.
This law is being challenged because of recent events that took place involving 19-year-old Aaliyah Palmer. Palmer admits that she willingly participated in sexual acts with a man in a bathroom, but once things began to get violent and uncomfortable, Palmer tried to stop the man with no success.
In the 1979 State v. Way case, the North Carolina Supreme Court determined “if the actual penetration is accomplished with the woman’s consent, the accused is not guilty of rape, although he may be guilty of another crime because of his subsequent actions.”
I typed the word “absurd” into Thesaurus.com to get synonyms to describe this North Carolina law and found the perfect adjectives:
Foolish. Illogical. Irrational. Unreasonable. Senseless. Stupid.
First of all, the North Carolina law was initially ruled on in 1979. The Space Shuttle, mobile phones, and compact discs were not invented yet. The first CD wasn’t invented for another three years. Life was so much different when this law was put in place, so you would think that North Carolina would revise it to reflect current times.
Because this is not the case, the law has enabled people to get away with acts similar to those of Palmer’s perpetrator.
Jackson wants the law to change; he sponsored Senate Bill 553, which rules people who fail to stop intercourse with someone who originally had consented but then told the other person to stop would be charged with rape.
Jackson said several women have admitted to having related occurrences. “Legislators are hearing more and more about women who have been raped and are being denied justice because of this crazy loophole,” he said.
The law is so out of date and needs to be changed immediately. Rape is a very serious matter and should not be taken lightly, and this law is letting abusers get away with it.
There needs to justice for victims’ attackers, and if North Carolina does not move forward with the Senate bill, things are only bound to get worse, and more victims will be affected.
The act of rape is appalling enough to deal with, and the emotional and psychological aftermath is anything but painless.
I think this entire situation and case makes North Carolina look horrendous, and I cannot believe that this law even exists in one of our states, let alone that its morality is up for discussion.
There needs to be justice. Aaliyah Palmer, I am with you, and we cannot end this fight. We cannot let North Carolina get away with this law that was put in place back before CDs were invented. People should not be able to take part in acts such as this and walk away with no consequence.
