Saturday, February 1, 2020

Labels in Relationships - Cont


The previous post examines the negative effects of forced intersection in relationships. However, it mostly considers the pragmatic aspects and not ideological aspects. Though, ideological aspects could have been included in the previous post itself, I decided to dedicate a new post for that because it deserves that attention!!

What is Rape? A non-consensual, forced, violation of someone's body. We all know how heinous it is. This post is not going to discuss about rape in general but within the context of marriage. Yes, I am talking about marital rape. In fact, expect for few countries (including India), many countries considers forced sexual intercourse between married coupes as rape. According to me, martial rape should be treated equally to rape, no exceptions made. Let me give an example substantiate my view point. Let us suppose, I have signed myself for a treatment programme and checks into a hospital. I have read the instructions carefully and given my consent. However, half way through the programme, I decide not to continue. Can I be forced to continue just because I had given my consent previously? I am sure you can guess where this is going. Just because people have got married with consent (implying a consent for sexual intercourse), does not mean one can be forced for sex if he/she is not willing to participate at any point of time. Marriage is NOT a lifetime license for sex. Instead, its just a license to seek for permission whenever a married person wants to involve in sexual activity with his/her spouse. No labels in relationships (marriage included) should ever try to rationalize rape.

What does marital rape got to do with forced intersection in relationships? If one is forced intercourse, the other is forced intersection. The way labels cannot be used to justify violation of someone's body, it should also not be used to justify violation of someone's beliefs and ideologies. At best, one can only seek permission. Forcing is fundamentally wrong.

In conclusion - Forced intersection is no different from forced intercourse. If one violates the body, the other violates the identity.

No comments:

Post a Comment