Rape is a difficult crime to prosecute
and many rapists are never punished.
Now this group of Tarrant County women
is trying to make the language of the
state's rape law tougher and broader,
to give Texas rape victims more
protection under the law and more
recourse in the courts.
The first thing we need to try to
recommend is that we just change
Section 21.
These women are concerned about victims,
but before rapists are brought to
justice, terminology in the law must be
in order. Today, this group is wading
through the bureaucracy of the law so.
So we can change it.
You can be amended.
Yeah. The sponsor of the rape bill.
Now, before legislators asked this group
for input on how to put more teeth in the
law. It's been proposed that the word
rape be changed to sexual
assault. That's an idea this group
doesn't favor.
They feel it would mean another loophole
for rapists, since that position
is to try to get life is locked
up. It just it was just the opposite.
We were trying
to laugh that out of the courtroom.
But I mean, I don't go there and they
lobby against it. If it stays like today.
This group is called the Coalition of
Women's Political Groups.
Its members include women active in both
political parties and workers at the Fort
Worth Rape Crisis Center.
Despite political differences, these
women agree that Texas laws dealing with
rape and sex crimes must be stronger.
They say it's not a political issue.
It's a woman's issue.
Kevyn Burger, Channel 5, Action News,
Fort Worth.