The History of Marital Rape Laws | CriminalDefenseLawyer.com

"Marital rape was a term that was viewed by the law as an oxymoron until shamefully late in U.S. history. Until the 1970’s, the rape laws in every state in the union included an exception if the rapist and the victim were husband and wife. In 1993, all 50 states had finally eliminated the “marital rape exception.” But the effects of these archaic exceptions persist and interfere with spousal rape prosecutions in some states.

This article is a general discussion of marital rape laws. For more information on marital rape laws on a state-by-state basis, see Marital Rape Laws and Penalties...."