France Passes Consent-Based Rape Law Following Gisle Pelicot Case

Gisèle Pelicot and one of her lawyers, Stephane Babonneau (R), leave the Avignon courthouse in Avignon, France, on Dec. 16, 2024. Clement Mahoudeau/AFP via Getty ImagesFrench lawmakers unanimously voted through a new law to expand the definition of rape and other sexual assault as any non-consensual sex act.The bill, approved Wednesday, follows the shocking drugging and mass rape trial of the former husband of Gisèle Pelicot and 50 other men, which turned her into a symbolic figure of the issue of sexual violence and led to a campaign for a more robust law around rape.