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What is North Carolina’s law on revoked consent?

With the #MeToo movement and all the scandals involving celebrities and politicians, a new light is shining on sex offenses and the impact they have on women. Women come forward years, even decades, after an assault because when it happened, they felt nobody would believe them. Many states have laws that help women to feel more in control. However, North Carolina is facing some heat over one of its applicable laws.

According to The News & Observer, this state has a unique law that does not exist in any other state when it comes to consent. The law says that once someone gives consent, he or she cannot revoke it. This essentially means that once you agree to have sex with someone, you cannot tell them you changed your mind and no longer agree.

This opens many doors to women becoming victims in court. One horrible example is if you use drugs or get drunk, under this law, you cannot claim you were raped. Another issue is that many sexual assault cases are already your word against the accused person’s word. This only makes it more difficult to prove your case if the other person says you consented or if you have had a relationship with the other person at any time in the past.

In fact, many feel the only way to get a conviction for a crime like rape is if you do not know your attacker at all. That means any rape case where the victim knows the accused is probably going to end in favor of the accused. This information is for education and is not legal advice.