Ohio Democratic women lawmakers call for new domestic violence protections

Ohio is one of a handful of states in the county that still has legal exemptions on its books for certain kinds of martial rape, and Democratic state lawmakers say they’re going to try again to change that.

“No individual should ever have the ability to rape someone based on their legal status to that person,” Rep. Kristin Boggs, D-Columbus, said at a press conference Wednesday morning. “The fact that this still exists in our code as an exception is despicable.”

Boggs' bill would eliminate a loophole that prevents rape charges from being filed when a spouse was drugged, unconscious or otherwise incapacitated. Previous iterations failed to pass in 2015 and 2017. But as Domestic Violence Awareness Month draws to a close, the Ohio Democratic Women’s Legislative Caucus say they want to pass it and 18 other bills aimed at reducing domestic violence during the 133rd General Assembly.

Some of the bills are new ideas while others have languished at the Statehouse for years in the hopes of getting enough Republican support to become law.

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20191030/ohio-democratic-women-lawmakers-call-for-new-domestic-violence-protections

******** So, some of these bills have been languishing in the Statehouse for years? Apparently not a top priority for our Republican majority......gee, what a surprise.