Removing a condom without consent could lead to civil damages under California bill

A California Democrat this week introduced legislation to penalize anyone found guilty of “stealthing,” or the sexual act of removing or damaging a condom without a partner’s consent.

California’s civil code already includes sexual battery, or the “intent to cause a harmful or offensive contact” as a punishable violation.

Under Assembly Bill 453, the law would expand to include those who intentionally cause “contact between a penis, from which a condom has been removed, and the intimate part of another who did not verbally consent to the condom being removed.”

The change would allow a victim to pursue a civil lawsuit, but it would not lead to jail time.

It’s a legal amendment Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, D-Bell Gardens, has pursued for five years. Stealthing, Garcia has argued, is a sneaky offense that burdens victims with enduring physical and emotional harm.

---