CALL NOW: Your relationship status is not consent

Apr 08th, 2022

Tell the Senate to
Accept the House Version of HB153/SB33

Tell the Maryland Senate:

Your Relationship Status is Not Consent

Consent is an essential part of healthy relationships and a being in a relationship is not blanket consent to sexual touching. 

This week, the House of Delegates rejected amendments to SB33/HB153, the bills repealing marriage as a defense to sex crimes that would create a new definition of “sexual contact” and change the meaning of consent for couples. The House has appointed a conference committee and we are waiting to see if the Senate will concur with the House or appoint a conference committee.

There are three reasons to accept the House version of the bill:

  1. The public policy of the state should be clear: a human being's right to consent or refuse sexual touching should not change based on whether they are in a relationship.
  2. There has not been a hearing on changing the meaning of “sexual contact” or consent.
  3. The bill language changing the means of “sexual contact” and consent has raised concerns by the Maryland State’s Attorneys Association and the Office of the Attorney General.

Call your Senators today and ask them to 
support HB153/SB33 as amended by the House
 Repeal Marriage as a Defense to Sex Crimes
Don't Change the Meaning of Consent

Find Your Senators

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