A paper published in the Columbia Journal of Gender and Law defines ‘stealthing’
According to the study, ‘stealthing,’ is a new trend wherein men remove their condoms during sex, without having a partner’s consent.
The study focuses on the online community that both encourages and shows support for the men, who unbeknownst to their partners, feel entitled to unprotected sex. In many cases women shared with the study’s lead author, Alexandra Brodsky, that they had not consented to unprotected sex and, in many cases, were not aware of when the condom was removed.
“Some realized their partner had removed the condom at the moment of re-penetration; others did not realize until the partner ejaculated or, in one case, notified them the next morning,” the study explains.
According to the study, many women are confused on the legal premise of stealthing and whether or not it would be considered sexual assault in a court of law. (No premise is set for this type of sexual act because nothing similar has been brought before a court of law.)
The study explained that while their is no legal premise, some precedents from other sexual assault scenarios may apply here.
According to PopSugar, “Brodsky’s second argument makes perfect sense as well. She explains that when someone is consenting to sex with a condom, they are consenting to the risks and benefits that go along with that act. “Sex without a condom carries higher risks of pregnancy and STI transmission than sex with a condom,” she wrote. “Because of the increased risk, the removal of the condom transforms the sexual act into a different act, such that consent to one is not carried over to consent to the other.”
Brodsky hopes that with this study an increased sense of awareness of the trend is brought to the attention of the general public and those who may have fallen victim to stealthing.
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