Rape is one of the oldest crimes, yet in some ways it is the least understood. Criminal law classifies rape as a crime against the person along with murder, robbery, and battery. But in at least one respect rape is unique--with few exceptions its perpetrators are male and its victims are female. The gendered nature of rape raises questions of equality and fairness as well as about the scope of individual rights to autonomy, privacy, security, and bodily integrity. Rape is therefore an important subject for political and social philosophy as well as for ethics, feminist philosophy,...
Rape is one of the oldest crimes, yet in some ways it is the least understood. Criminal law classifies rape as a crime against the person alo...