My state, Iowa, has a population of 1,730,732 and
834 incidents of reported forcible rape. The Statute of Limitations states that
the offender must be prosecuted within 10 years of the incident, or within 10
years of the victim turning 18 years old if the victim was a minor.
Iowa law defines sexual assault as:
persons when the act is performed with the other person in any of the
following circumstances:
1.
The act is done by force or against the will of the other. If
the consent or acquiescence of the other is procured by threats of
violence toward any person or if the act is done while the other is
under the influence of a drug inducing sleep or is otherwise in a
state of unconsciousness, the act is done against the will of the
other.
2.
Such other person is suffering from a mental defect or
incapacity which precludes giving consent, or lacks the mental
capacity to know the right and wrong of conduct in sexual matters.
3. Such
other person is a child.
Sexual assault is considered a class C felony in
Iowa. This can be raised to a class B or A felony if:
·
the offender causes serious injury
(Class A felony)
·
the victim is under 12 years old
·
the offender threatens the victim with a
weapon
·
there is a substantial risk of death or
serious injury
·
the offender is aided or abetted by one
or more persons and the sex act is committed by force or against the will of
the victim
One case of rape that I found was the rape of a
former University of Iowa athlete by two former Iowa football players, Abe
Satterfield and Cedric Everson. The defense claims that Satterfield raped her,
and then Everson came and raped her while she was passed out. Both men were
found guilty of assault. Everson had to serve 7 days in jail, and together they
had to pay $2,084 in restitution.
One piece of media I found concerning sexual assault
is an ad with a picture of a woman with two men around her. The ad states “It’s
not sex…when she’s wasted. Sex with someone unable to consent = sexual assault”.
Another image I found is a woman shielding her face with her arms. Written on
her arms is “Real men don’t rape.” I think that these ads are accurate in their
representations of sexual assault.
