A longstanding exception in Minnesota sex crime law that bars prosecution for some marital rape cases will come under review next week in the state Senate.
Senate panel to take up Minnesota's 'marital rape' exception
Hearing scheduled for Monday as legislative deadline nears.
March 21, 2019 at 11:11PM
The House unanimously passed a marital rape measure last month after two rounds of testimony by Jenny Teeson, who discovered a video of her ex-husband forcibly penetrating her with a sex toy while she lay motionless.
Minnesota is one of about a dozen states that still have some form of "voluntary relationship" exception. Minnesota's law, which dates to the 1970s, does not exempt spouses from being charged with forcibly raping their partners. But while it is illegal in Minnesota to engage in sexual penetration with someone who is "mentally impaired, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless," that provision does not apply in marriage.
On Thursday, the Senate's Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee added the Senate's version of the bill to its agenda for Monday. Teeson said she expects to return to the Capitol to share her story again.
Stephen Montemayor • 612-673-1755 Twitter: @smontemayor
These Minnesotans are poised to play prominent roles in state and national politics in the coming years.
