LB 692: Lawmakers Should Oppose Vague Bill That Encourages Persons to Sue Partner for Sexual Deception

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Rebecca Stewart

Telephone: 513-479-3335

LB 692: Lawmakers Should Oppose Vague Bill That Encourages Persons to Sue Partner for Sexual Deception

WASHINGTON / March 8, 2022 – Both men and women are known to engage in sexual deception. Men may remove their condom during sexual intercourse, and women may falsely claim that they are on birth control. While such actions are deplorable, lawmakers should oppose Legislative Bill 692, a bill that would promote the expansion of the “bedroom police,” and would open the door to broader discussions about the problem of paternity fraud.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports that men are more likely than women to be victims of sexual deception: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/nisvs_report2010-a.pdf

10.4% of men report ever having an intimate partner who tried to get pregnant when the man did not want to.
8.6% of women report ever having an intimate partner who tried to get the woman pregnant when she did not want to.

The reasons for engaging in reproductive deception vary: Trying to trick a partner into pregnancy, punishing the partner, or wanting to make the relationship more permanent.

Sexual deception can include a broad range of activities such as falsely stating that a birth control method is being used, not informing a partner after ceasing the use of female-controlled contraception, not withdrawing after agreeing to do so, and not telling a partner if a condom broke or fell off.

During the recent March 3 hearing, a number of concerns were expressed by lawmakers, including problems of unconstitutional vagueness, and the questionable effectiveness of such a bill. One lawmaker wondered out loud about the bill’s lack of focus on females who engage in sexual deception. https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/03/03/nebraska-lawmakers-start-talking-about-whether-to-outlaw-stealthing/

Discussions of sexual deception likely will lead to consideration of the problem of paternity fraud, in which a mother intentionally names the wrong man as the biological father of her newly born child. Paternity fraud is more widespread than commonly believed. According to the American Association of Blood Banks, 28% of men tested were found to not be the biological father.