Extract:
Under current New York law, if someone was drinking by choice when they were assaulted, prosecutors can decide not to pursue the case. This law provides prosecutors with an out when it comes to sexual assault – and statistics show they take it: In 2019, prosecutors dropped nearly half of all sexual assault cases in the Manhattan district attorney’s office. A bill proposed in the state legislature is looking to make it harder for prosecutors to throw out sexual assault and rape cases by prohibiting the use of intoxication of the victim as a defense.
“It’s a staggering injustice. Being unable to say no doesn’t mean you have no right to say no,” says Ann Olivarius, a leading women’s rights attorney and longtime advocate for survivors of sexual assault and gender-based violence.
