The history of marital rape legislation from the 1960s to the present is a long battle on many political, cultural, legal, and social levels. The author, a peace, civil, and human rights activist, has been central to the struggle, working one-on-one with a tremendous diversity of people in 45 states and several countries as the director of the National Clearinghouse on Marital and Date Rape in Berkeley, California. Early on, major court cases brought the issue of marital rape to the attention of legislators, media, and the public nationally due to the shock of a woman saying “no” to her husband at all. Each high court or legislative victory came only after much resistance and even sabotage.
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