CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Married people in West Virginia could be charged with certain acts of sexual abuse against their spouses for the first time under a bill passed by the state Senate. The bill pushed by former prosecuting attorney Republican Sen. Ryan Weld would remove marriage as a defense to first- and third-degree sexual assault. There are two crimes of sexual violence outlined in West Virginia code. One is penetrative assault and the other is the forcible touching of a person’s sexual organs, breasts, and some other areas by another person. For the latter offense, there exists a martial exemption that shields a person from conviction if the crime is perpetrated against their spouse.
It is West Virginia. 31/34 state Senators and 89/100 delegates are Republicans. It is a Republican show through-and-through. Anything that happens there is going to be Republicans.
I think the unexpected part is that it’s Republicans passing something sensible. When I read the headline I assumed they were doing the opposite, which is more on brand.
It’s an obvious slam dunk, and one that there is little opposition to, on top of generally being uncommon. Also makes them look like they give a shit about women in the post Roe v Wade world, which is important cuz that issue is going to rock the GOP come November.
I don’t think anyone in the West Virginia GOP is worried about Democrats staging a comeback, no matter what they do. They’ll even pick up Manchin’s senate seat.