From Chastity Requirement to Sexuality License: Sexual Consent and a New Rape Shield Law

Although most rape shield laws are worded in such a way as to appear to bar the admission of a rape complainant's sexual history except under limited and carefully defined circumstances, their exceptions routinely gut the protection they purport to offer. Here, the author examines historical and contemporary rape shield laws and concludes with an original model rape shield law designed to meet existing gaps.

Michelle J. Anderson is professor of law at Villanova University where she teaches criminal law, criminal procedure, feminist legal theory, and children and the law. Her scholarly expertise is rape law. Professor Anderson is also Policy Chair for the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence.