Summary: The Swedish government has implemented new sexual consent laws that have raised eyebrows around the world for both their vagueness and impracticality. The laws effectively criminalise all sexual contact where explicit consent is not clearly given at every stage of the process, even between spouses. The most controversial element of the new legislation is criminalisation of the 'Risk that the partner might have not been consenting', thereby removing the possibility of defence on the basis of fair misunderstanding.

Link: https://culturalanalysis.net/2017/12/22/castration-odin-new-sexual-consent-legislation-sweden/

Lessons Learned:

  • Sex with a sleeping partner in Sweden is now a crime (even if he or she likes it)

  • If you don't get explicit consent at "every stage of sexual encounter" (as vague as that sounds), even if your partner likes it at the time, if she ever changes her mind in the future that the sex was non-consensual, then you are presumed guilty of Negligent Rape.

  • The new law does not affect violent rapists (it may even encourage it)

  • Don't have sex in Sweden! Ever.

UPDATE 28.03.2018. According to The Reykjavik Grapevine, Iceland’s Parliament unanimously passed landmark law on Sexual Consent, “putting the onus of consent on being told Yes; rather than not being told No”. “There must be no question that you have consent”. MP Jón Steindór Valdimarsson, the primary advocate for the new law, stressed that “agreeing to have sex when someone is heavily intoxicated is not consent”. It follows that, as of now, sex between ostensibly consenting but intoxicated adults in Iceland amounts to mutual rape. According to Iceland Review, the offence carries maximum penalty of 16 years of imprisonment.