Is it ok to have sex with a mentally handicapped individual?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Just as ludicrous.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Jon Miller


I didn't say that.

I said that knowing the person well is the only way to avoid rape.

JM

Uh huh. And yet it used to be thought that rape could not occur within a marriage.

Exactly how well would you say a married couple 'know' each other ?

And have you read any statistics relating to a rape victim's relationship to the rapist ?

[Ninot]

In response to JM's argument: Aren't many rapes between people who were formerly consenting, and often in a relationship or married?

[Ninot]

oops, didn't see Molly's reply

[Jon Miller]

You two are suffering from reading comprehension problems. I didn't say that all situations where you know the person very well aren't rape. I said that the only way you can be sure that you didn't rape someone is by knowing them well.

Obviously if you desire to rape someone, that isn't an issue.

JM

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Just as ludicrous.

For some it is very important to never rape another.

JM

[Ninot]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
You two are suffering from reading comprehension problems. I didn't say that all situations where you know the person very well aren't rape. I said that the only way you can be sure that you didn't rape someone is by knowing them well.

Obviously if you desire to rape someone, that isn't an issue.

JM

Not at all! Im saying that from my understanding, a decent percentage of rapes happen between people who are very familiar with each other, and often in a relationship or married. I'm saying that to my knowledge, this represents not an exception to the rule.

A husband can have what he believes to be consenting sex when it is very plainly not.

[Jon Miller]

You seem to be talking about something completely different than what I am talking about.

I am not talking about all rapes. I am talking about rapes due to consent not being able to be given, and how you can be sure about whether the person is capable of giving consent or not.

Try to pay attention to the conversation. You are talking about something completely different.

In situations where the person knows the other person very well, knows that the other person is not capable of giving consent, but rapes anyways.. well, that is obviously not unpremeditated rape.

The rapes that you and Molly are talking about are premeditated, which is a different matter. It it obvious that knowing someone well won't keep you from rape if that is your intention.

JM

[Ninot]

Actually, you're kindof ignoring half of the intent of what I wrote, but I have to go now, and I don't need to repeat myself

[DanS]

Originally posted by Dauphin
In response to the OP as Snotty's girlfriend wants me to say something.

If the mentally constrained individual initiates the act and demonstrates persistant desire to shag you then you can if you want with no moral qualms. I think anyone who gets it on with a seriously mentally disabled person has issues though.

Anyway, Jenny and Forrest Gump seemed to work out ok, at least until she got AIDS and died.

As you say, the individual is mentally constrained. He cannot give proper consent, even if he initiates it. (Obviously, some are less constrained in that manner than others.)

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by Ninot
A husband can have what he believes to be consenting sex when it is very plainly not.

I am interested in what you are thinking about here.

I am going to go out on a limb and say that it is something like "Her husband believes since they are married that it is always consensual" or something like that. In which case, obviously he is ignoring her consent still, because that is independent of his culture.

I think you have thrown out a incomplete idea or a nonsensical sentence. That is why I ignored it.

And maybe you misunderstand what Rape is (this is what I am thinking now). Rape isn't doing something that you don't want to. Rape is doing something which you don't agree to, or being coerced into doing something.

As an example, if my good friend is down and I don't want to have sex with him/her, but I do anyways because I want them to feel better. I am not coerced. I am able to give consent and do so. It is not rape, but I am still doing something sexual that I don't want to do.

JM

[Ninot]

I think you're leaving out the posibility that a man can force sex upon his wife entirely without her consent and be unaware that she is unconsenting. As he is unaware, he is not committing premeditated rape. This is akin, to me, to having sex with someone who is incapable of consenting due to mental problems or age. Just as the wife can not stop the man or make him realize what he is doing might be wrong, neither can the mentally infirm.

Along those lines, knowing a person or not does not change in any way if it is rape or not.