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North Carolina No Longer An Outlier On Sex And Consent

Roy Cooper
WFAE
Gov. Roy Cooper signed into law a sexual assault bill that says women can revoke consent during sex.

GREENSBORO — North Carolina's governor has signed a sexual assault bill which says women can revoke consent during sex.

Gov. Roy Cooper said in a news release Thursday that he had signed the bill, which undos a 1979 court decision that made North Carolina the only state where women can't revoke consent.

The law also undos a court ruling from 2008 that said sexual assault laws don't apply to people who were incapacitated because of their own action as victims, such as by taking drugs or alcohol. It also increases penalties for child abusers.

The law goes into effect on Dec. 1.

Both houses of the legislature approved the bill unanimously last week. Cooper says the bipartisan legislation "will help more people seek justice against abusers."

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