Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Bill Related To Rape Consent Definition

(Pierre, SD) — The South Dakota Senate Judiciary Committee is advancing a bill related to consent when legally defining rape. Republican Tim Reed sponsored the bill, which would treat a victim’s silence as a refusal to consent. A proposed amendment would only count the act as rape if the perpetrator would know or “reasonably should know the victim is not consenting” through their silence. Reed objected to the amendment. The committee approved the bill yesterday for debate on the Senate floor.