WRAL Investigation Prompts Bill On DNA Testing For Rape Victims (from 2002)

RALEIGH, N.C. -- State leaders are responding to a WRAL Investigation on DNA testing for rape victims. One lawmaker has filed legislation on the victims' behalf.

(...)
Because of limited resources, the SBI crime lab typically will not analyze DNA evidence unless there is a suspect in the case. Miner's bill would require the lab to test DNA in every rape case if the survivor makes the request.

FBI Rape Statistics and DNA Testing (Fathers for Life)

--snip:

When reading the report from which the excerpts shown below were taken, consider that the FBI program of DNA testing of rapists didn't begin until 1989, and that therefore it is very likely that about 25 or perhaps as many as 40 percent of men convicted before 1989 of and serving time for rape are innocent.

--end snip

Consider also that the DNA testing program took some time to come into full swing, so that even after 1989 it was quite likely that innocent men (as per DNA evidence) would still have been convicted of rape, although somewhat steadily declining numbers of them.

Consider further that the FBI doesn't become involved in all rape cases, only in those that are referred to it. So, the actual number of innocent men imprisoned for rape must be far, far higher than one is led to believe by the excerpts.

The question still remains as to how many of the "rapists" whose DNA is a match with that of the semen found in or on their victims actually had consensual sex. After all, even a wife can claim that she has been raped by her husband, if at any time she decides to do that, regardless of whether the sexual intercourse she had with her husband was consensual or not.

In the end, nothing matters other than what the woman says. And, as they say, "women don't lie." Obviously, what they say is wrong. (In the US, there are an estimated 520,000 false rape allegations a year — 98.1% of all reported cases. — Eeva Sodhi, Debunking Domestic Violence Statistics; Rape)

Rape Kit Logjam Finally Broken
Feminist Daily News Wire
October 13, 2004
snips:

Rape Kit Logjam Finally Broken Little noticed in the unusual Saturday session, the Debbie Smith bill passed the US Senate. The Justice for All Act of 2004 (H.R. 5107), previously passed by the House, incorporates the Debbie Smith Act, the Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology Act (H.R. 3214) and includes the DNA Sexual Assault Justice Act (S. 152). The measure authorizes more than $7.55 billion in grants over a period of five years to local and state authorities to process a backlog of more than 300,000 rape kits and other sexual assault evidence, and DNA samples in cases where suspects have yet to be identified.

“I am thrilled that this legislation will finally become the law of the land,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), who worked for more than two years for passage of the Debbie Smith Act. “With the use of DNA technology, we will ensure that rapists are thrown in jail and the innocent are not wrongly imprisoned [my bold].

---

Alia Question: I've been looking around. Could it be that many false rape charges are being promoted purely in order to get the DNA of more men?

I'd never thought of this before.

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