A British judge has invoked the ire of online commentators, activists and politicians after remarking that it was a man’s “fundamental human right” to have sex with his wife during an already controversial court case.
“I cannot think of any more obviously fundamental human right than the right of a man to have sex with his wife… I think he is entitled to have it properly argued,” senior High Court judge Justice Hayden was quoted as saying during a preliminary hearing on a case involving a married couple of 20 years.
The wife has learning difficulties and her condition is deteriorating, prompting social services to raise the alarm about the potential for sexual abuse in the relationship as they felt the woman was no longer able to make decisions about whether she consented to sexual relations. Social services ultimately brought the case to the Court of Protection in London.
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The judge’s remarks have sparked a wave of fury and indignation online, sparking widespread discussion regarding consent.
Some were more lighthearted in their approach to the case.
While others reserved judgement until more details were released.
The judge agreed that more information was needed and called for additional evidence to be presented at a later hearing, while also ordering that none of the names in the case be reported in order to protect the identities of all parties involved during the hearing. Spousal sex without consent was explicitly banned in the UK in 1991.
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