PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — A new house bill designed to help victims of “stealthing” passed through the Washington State House and could bring protections to survivors.
The bill, forwarded by Representative Liz Berry, seeks to allow survivors of “stealthing”, the non-consensual act of removing or tampering with a sexually protective device, to bring civil suits against perpetrators.
Rep. Berry said that she brought this bill forward after learning from a close friend that it had happened to her and upon looking into it, stealthing is far more common than she expected.
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“When my close friend came to me with her story about how a consensual sexual partner removed a condom without her permission or knowledge, I immediately understood this to be outside of the bounds of consensual sex,” said Berry. “After I began working on the legislation even more individuals bravely shared their story. This bill will give a pathway to justice for these survivors of sexual assault.”