Letters and Emails

ON JAN. 6, the California Supreme Court made a ruling that further clarifies the definition of rape. According to the court, it is rape if a woman withdraws consent at any point during sex but her partner refuses to stop. I feel obligated to make sure that Santa Clara students are aware that this is now the law in the state of California.

On one hand, I applaud this decision because it clears up a lot of gray area. I can't believe it's taken this long to have an understanding of the law regarding rape.

On the other hand, it is unfortunate that we live in a society that requires such a law. I hope that a woman would never get herself into such an uncomfortable situation, or that a man could ever make her feel that uneasy. I suppose it would be naive of me to think that this doesn't happen. Ultimately, for me, it comes down to self-respect.

Last quarter I hosted a discussion group through the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics that dealt precisely with this subject. We talked about who is responsible when unwanted sex acts occur. We addressed this issue in the context of alcohol use. I am hopeful that Santa Clara students will consider their actions carefully in light of this court ruling.

We will be hosting three more of these group discussions, called Dessert and Dilemmas, this quarter. The first, occurring on Jan. 21, will deal with the responsibility of one friend to another who has an eating disorder. I encourage you all to attend.

Meg Parker, communication, '03

Hackworth Fellow