In a recent Associated Press interview, NYU School of Law professor Erin E. Murphy brings attention to the complexity of sex assault laws and the definition of consent.
“Half the states don’t even have a definition of consent,” says Professor Murphy. “One person’s idea of consent is that no one is screaming or crying. Another person’s idea of consent is someone saying, ‘Yes, I want to do this.’ And in between, of course, is an enormous spectrum of behavior, both verbal and nonverbal, that people engage in to communicate desire or lack of desire.”
“It’s pretty telling,” she adds, “that the critical thing most people look to understand the nature of a sexual encounter — this idea of consent — is one that we don’t even have a consensus definition of in our society.”
Read the full AP article.