§ 13A-6-70 — Lack of Consent

(a) Unless otherwise stated, an element of every offense defined in this article is that the sexual act was committed without the consent of the victim.
(b) Lack of consent results from either of the following:
(1) Forcible compulsion.
(2) Being incapable of consent.
(c) A person is deemed incapable of consent if he or she is either:
(1) Less than 16 years old.
(2) Incapacitated.
(d) Consent to engage in sexual intercourse, sodomy, sexual acts, or sexual contact may be communicated by words or actions. The existence of a current or previous marital, dating, social, or sexual relationship with the defendant is not sufficient to constitute consent. Evidence that the victim suggested, requested, or otherwise communicated to the defendant that the defendant use a condom or other birth control device or sexually transmitted disease protection, without additional evidence of consent, is not sufficient to constitute consent.

Legislative History

(Acts 1977, No. 607, p. 812, §2330; Act 2019-465, §1.)