The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
March 11, 2014

Senate OKs Weakened Overhaul of Prosecuting Military Sexual Assault 
--------------------------------------------------------------------


 
The Senate has overwhelmingly approved a measure to overhaul prosecution
of sexual assault in the military. Passed by a unanimous 97-to-0 vote,
the bill scraps the century-old "good soldier defense" that allows
defendants to present evidence during trial of a positive military
character. The bill also gives accusers a voice in whether cases are
heard in civilian or military courts and increases requirements for
commanders. But the bill is considerably weaker than a measure rejected
by the Senate last week, which would have moved oversight of sexual
assault in the military to outside the chain of command.