Two Steps Back | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Two Steps Back

The Oklahoma ruling that shocked everyone.

13
Two Steps Back
Emerging Free

This week, living in Oklahoma as a female just became that much scarier.

After a 17 year old boy forced a 16 year old girl to participate in oral sex while she was heavily intoxicated, a court ruled that due to her unconscious state -- he was dismissed. Let me say that again. She was unconscious and drunk -- so the court let him off for raping her. In the arguments, he said it was consensual yet she recalls nothing.

This is not just a problem in Oklahoma though, most rapists do go free. Whether the ruling be because the victim was unconscious or because their outfit was "revealing". In the end, after court cases and unreported rapes, only 1 in 16 rapists will ever spend time in jail.

This is unacceptable.

Women should not be afraid to walk down the street in the middle of the night, or be scrutinized for what they are wearing. More importantly, their rapist should not be set free after it was uncovered that she was intoxicated and unconscious during the act.

Unfortunately, the ruling of the courts was based on the law because there was a massive hole that did not account for an unconscious individual in the criteria for the crime they were prosecuting. This hole is being fixed and hopefully, within the next few weeks, Oklahoma will have a new rape law that will prevent this issue from arising in the future.

Quite frankly, this is a major problem in the United States that needs to be addressed. What the country needs are lawmakers who realize we are behind in creating adequate punishment for these heinous crimes. When only 0.06 percent of rapists spend time in prison for their crimes, there isn't an issue with our women, there is an issue with our laws. It's time to catch up and fix these rape laws so the times of sharing awful rulings on Facebook of men getting let off for forcibly raping someone while they are drunk ends.

As a college student, I have a one in five chance of being sexually assaulted in my undergraduate years. That's terrifying. In a woman's lifetime, she has a one in four chance. I'm sick of being afraid of this happening to myself or my sisters. For my future daughter, something needs to change. At one point in time, laws didn't protect against rape at all. Hopefully soon, laws will protect against all sexual assault and create simpler means of trying these cases and allowing women to feel safe.

Stop asking what she was wearing. Stop asking if she was drunk. She didn't want it.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Christmas tree
Librarian Lavender

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas is one of my personal favorite holidays because of the Christmas traditions my family upholds generation after generation. After talking to a few of my friends at college, I realized that a lot of them don't really have "Christmas traditions" in their family, and I want to help change that. Here's a list of Christmas traditions that my family does, and anyone can incorporate into their family as well!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Phases Of Finals

May the odds be ever in your favor.

1290
Does anybody know how to study
Gurl.com

It’s here; that time of year when college students turn into preschoolers again. We cry for our mothers, eat everything in sight, and whine when we don’t get our way. It’s finals, the dreaded time of the semester when we all realize we should have been paying attention in class instead of literally doing anything else but that. Everyone has to take them, and yes, unfortunately, they are inevitable. But just because they are here and inevitable does not mean they’re peaches and cream and full of rainbows. Surviving them is a must, and the following five phases are a reality for all majors from business to art, nursing to history.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

How To Prepare For The Library: Finals Edition

10 ways to prepare for finals week—beginning with getting to the library.

2719
How To Prepare For The Library: Finals Edition
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

It’s that time of year again when college students live at the library all week, cramming for tests that they should have started studying for last month. Preparing to spend all day at the library takes much consideration and planning. Use these tips to help get you through the week while spending an excessive amount of time in a building that no one wants to be in.

Keep Reading...Show less
girl roommates
StableDiffusion

Where do we begin when we start talking about our roommates? You practically spend every moment with them, they become your second family and they deal with you at your best and at your absolute worst. They are there to make you laugh just a little harder, cry a little less and make each day a little better. We often forget to thank them for the little things that they do to make college even a tiny bit easier and more fun. This list of 26 things are what you should thank your roommates for right this minute and every day that you live with them.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

20 Thoughts While Studying For Finals

I may or may not be stressing right now.

2787
Thoughts While Studying For Finals
StableDiffusion


That time of the semester has arrived once again, finals. The worst week ever. Who thought it was a good idea for all your classes to have exams all in the same week? Definitely not me. Here's 20 thoughts you may have studying for finals.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments