Antonio Celebrates Passage of Legislation to Modernize Ohio's Rape Code

Today, Senate Democratic Leader Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood) issued the following statement after the Ohio Senate passed House Bill 161 to end the spousal exemption for rape and other sex crimes in Ohio:

“Today marks a long-overdue step toward more just laws regarding sexual violence by eliminating this archaic loophole,” said Antonio. “Survivors of sexual assault deserve justice regardless of their relationship to the perpetrator, including marriage. I commend my colleagues in both chambers who voted to bring Ohio in line with the vast majority of states, along with the advocates whose tireless work was critical for us to reach this point.”

Senate Democratic Leader Nickie J. Antonio previously introduced Senate Bill 162 in 2019 and Senate Bill 198 in 2021 to eliminate the spousal exemption for rape and end the statute of limitations on rape and sexual assault, respectively.

House Bill 161 now heads to Governor DeWine for his signature.