California sex consent law a positive step

Why shouldn’t a man be certain that a woman he is about to have sex with is ready and willing? California’s consent law is a good step forward.

And a woman, or a man, should also be able to say “no” after saying “yes.” 

California Gov. Jerry Brown should sign the new state legislation requiring stated consent. 

It remains a widely held belief in the United States that many rape victims are faking it. Statistics by the FBI and psychologists say fake rape allegations are in fact very rare.

Even the legendary Sidmund Freud had to back off from his “seduction theory” because society did not want to know that fathers might molest their daughters. More recent reviews of Freud’s letters show that whether molestations occurred or not, there was no doubt that trauma occurred during the early years of young women. 

Having covered numerous rape cases for Associated Press, including at the Air Force Academy, I came away with the impression that no one was likely to go through the hell of filing a rape charge unless there was a violation of the victim’s rights. 

Cases involving celebrities may, or may not, be more complicated. For those who wonder how this can be done all it takes is a smart phone. And yes, there is an app, annuo.

The huge toll in the American military, which includes women trained to defend themselves, shows that men are getting away sexual assault. 

In fact, women are just as likely to not report a rape as they are to file charges. They know how it will be received. They may wonder whether their conduct contributed to the incident.

Sen. Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), told the Los Angeles Times: "It is incumbent on men, in particular, to step up and to stand up and to do everything possible to change that culture -- a culture that's quite pervasive on our college campus. That is a rape culture." 

Perhaps it is overreaching, but existing laws and law enforcement have failed to protect women.