Rape in a marriage -- just as in any other relationship -- is illegal in Michigan.
But there's an exception. Someone cannot face charges purely because their spouse was mentally incapacitated at the time of the incident.
Democratic Representative Laurie Pohutsky says lawmakers need to be more proactive in removing outdated laws.
“I think we have a tendency to look back on things like this and say, ‘Oh, well they’re not being enforced so there’s no urgency.’ And that’s not the case. Things like this do very much impact people in the here and now.”
Similar legislation passed the state House last year unanimously but stalled in the state Senate.