French lawmakers approve bill to end ‘marital duty’ over consent concerns

French lawmakers on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill seeking to end the notion of “marital duty” after criticism from women’s rights groups about how it ignores the idea of s3xual consent in marriage and marital r#pe

The text – backed by more than 120 MPs in the lower house National Assembly – clarifies in the civil code that cohabitation does not create any obligation for spouses to have sexual relations. The cross-party bill will now have to go through the Senate upper chamber.

The French civil code lists four duties attached to marriage – fidelity, support, assistance and cohabitation – but it does not mention s3xual obligation.

However, older court rulings sometimes interpreted cohabitation as implying a “shared bed”, allowing the idea of a “marital duty” to persist in practice.

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