美国国家公共电台 NPR This Woman Fought To End Minnesota's 'Marital Rape' Exception, And Won

This Woman Fought To End Minnesota's 'Marital¹ Rape²' Exception, And Won

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Minnesota is one of about a dozen states where a spouse³ can be shielded from prosecution⁴ when they rape their partner. It's an exception in the law that dates back decades. But this week, the governor signed a bill to change that. Minnesota Public Radio's Briana Bierschbach says that comes mostly because of the efforts of one woman. And a warning to our listeners - there are details in the beginning of this story you may find disturbing.

BRIANA BIERSCHBACH, BYLINE⁵: Jenny Teeson's husband made plenty of sexual requests during their marriage that made her uncomfortable. But she didn't find out until they were going through a divorce that he had raped⁶ her. She was reviewing files on his computer hard drive and made a shocking discovery - four videos he filmed raping⁷ her while she lay unconscious. In one video, the camera zooms⁸ in on Teeson's face. And lying next to her in the bed is her son, a toddler.

JENNY TEEESON: He was next to me. And I had no idea because I was so out cold.

BIERSCHBACH: It's a hard story for Teeson to tell. This part brings her to tears nearly every time. But she's been making the rounds at the Minnesota Capitol anyway, telling her story enough times that lawmakers are now changing a law she says prevented her from getting justice.

TEESON: Oh, it just solidified⁹ that what I'm doing is right and that one person's voice can really make a difference.

BIERSCHBACH: It's called the marital rape exception. It shields spouses¹⁰ from prosecutions¹¹ in cases where they rape their partner. The origin of exceptions like this can be traced back hundreds of years to British common law, eventually imported to American colonies. Back then, men believed a woman's unconditional¹² sexual consent was just part of the marriage contract.

ZACK STEPHENSON: I can recall learning in law school about 17th century English common law principle that a husband could never be convicted of raping his wife.

BIERSCHBACH: That's Zack Stephenson, a freshman¹³ Democrat¹⁴ in Minnesota who's carrying the bill to eliminate the exception.

STEPHENSON: Because by consenting to marry, quote, "the wife hath given up herself to her husband."

BIERSCHBACH: Most states had marital rape exceptions as part of their law until 1979. That's when a Massachusetts bartender broke into the home he used to share with his estranged¹⁵ wife and raped her. The case led to the first marital rape conviction in the nation. By 1993, women's rights groups pushed to make marital rape illegal in all 50 states. But Jenny Teeson says enforcement still varied¹⁶ widely from state to state.

TEESON: There's these little loopholes and sub-statutes that hide deep in the books that pop out every once in a while.

BIERSCHBACH: Minnesota still prevents someone from being prosecuted¹⁷ if they are in a voluntary sexual relationship at the time of the alleged¹⁸ offense¹⁹ or if the complainant is the actor's legal spouse. Teeson went to the authorities after she discovered the videos of the rape. But her ex-husband's attorney discovered the loophole in law. Ultimately, he was convicted of invasion of privacy in the case and served less than 30 days in jail. The state estimates repealing²⁰ the exception will result in seven additional convictions each year. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center said more than 50% of female victims of rape report being assaulted by their partner.

TEESON: This was my - supposed to be my most intimate partner, my ride or die. This is the person who I'm supposed to be able to trust. And they're the one who's hurting me.

BIERSCHBACH: Teeson became a regular at the Capitol this year to change the law. She met with legislators and testified in committees. She says even the lobbyists have started to recognize her. Both the House and Senate passed the bill unanimously. Teeson was up in the House gallery with her parents for the vote.

TEESON: I don't think I've seen my dad cry - ever. And we all - my mom, my dad and I - looked at the board. And within two seconds, three seconds, the whole board lit up green.

BIERSCHBACH: In an unusual move, the entire House turned in their seats to acknowledge Teeson after the vote.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: The bill has passed and its title agreed to.

(APPLAUSE)

BIERSCHBACH: For NPR News, I'm Briana Bierschbach in St. Paul.

1 marital   

adj.婚姻的，夫妻的

参考例句：

• Her son had no marital problems.她的儿子没有婚姻问题。
• I regret getting involved with my daughter's marital problems;all its done is to bring trouble about my ears.我后悔干涉我女儿的婚姻问题, 现在我所做的一切将给我带来无穷的烦恼。

2 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

3 spouse   

n.配偶(指夫或妻)

参考例句：

• Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday.她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
• What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage?在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么？

4 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

7 raping   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的现在分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• In response, Charles VI sent a punitive expedition to Brittany, raping and killing the populace. 作为报复，查理六世派军讨伐布列塔尼，奸淫杀戮平民。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The conquerors marched on, burning, killing, raping and plundering as they went. 征服者所到之处烧杀奸掠，无所不做。 来自互联网

8 zooms   

n.嗡嗡声( zoom的名词复数 )；隆隆声；（车辆等）疾驰的声音；变焦

参考例句：

• A sneeze zooms out of your mouth at over 600 m.p.h. 从你口中打出的喷嚏速度可达每小时600里。 来自互联网
• When the camera zooms in, the whole world watches out. 当镜头对准（汶川），全世界都在关注。 来自互联网

9 solidified   

（使）成为固体，（使）变硬，（使）变得坚固( solidify的过去式和过去分词 )； 使团结一致； 充实，巩固； 具体化

参考例句：

• Her attitudes solidified through privilege and habit. 由于特权和习惯使然，她的看法变得越来越难以改变。
• When threatened, he fires spheres of solidified air from his launcher! 当危险来临，他就会发射它的弹药！

10 spouses   

n.配偶，夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Jobs are available for spouses on campus and in the community. 校园里和社区里有配偶可做的工作。 来自辞典例句
• An astonishing number of spouses-most particularly in the upper-income brackets-have no close notion of their husbands'paychecks. 相当大一部分妇女——特别在高收入阶层——并不很了解他们丈夫的薪金。 来自辞典例句

11 prosecutions   

起诉( prosecution的名词复数 )； 原告； 实施； 从事

参考例句：

• It is the duty of the Attorney-General to institute prosecutions. 检察总长负责提起公诉。
• Since World War II, the government has been active in its antitrust prosecutions. 第二次世界大战以来，政府积极地进行着反对托拉斯的检举活动。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

12 unconditional   

adj.无条件的，无限制的，绝对的

参考例句：

• The victorious army demanded unconditional surrender.胜方要求敌人无条件投降。
• My love for all my children is unconditional.我对自己所有孩子的爱都是无条件的。

13 freshman   

n.大学一年级学生(可兼指男女)

参考例句：

• Jack decided to live in during his freshman year at college.杰克决定大一时住校。
• He is a freshman in the show business.他在演艺界是一名新手。

14 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

15 estranged   

adj.疏远的，分离的

参考例句：

• He became estranged from his family after the argument.那场争吵后他便与家人疏远了。
• The argument estranged him from his brother.争吵使他同他的兄弟之间的关系疏远了。

16 varied   

adj.多样的，多变化的

参考例句：

• The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
• The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。

17 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。

18 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

19 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

20 repealing   

撤销，废除( repeal的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• In addition, repealing the alternative minimum tax would also help. 此外，废除替代性最低税也会有所帮助。
• Repealing the investment tax credit. 取消投资税款扣除。