House Bill 1080 would have made that possible and brought Mississippi’s laws up to the 21st century. It was defeated by the Senate on Tuesday, just before the deadline that required it to be voted on. The bill’s author, Rep. Dana McLean (R-Columbus), stated that “there are a few states that still have the spousal defense on their books, even though it’s basically illegal to rape anybody.” “… “It’s a shame sometimes that in Mississippi, we seem the last state in Union to actually do something right,” said Rep. Dana McLean, R-Columbus, the bill’s author. The bill passed the House with a vote of 119-1. Rep. Omeria, D.Laurel, voted against it. McLean stated that he had received word from the Senate leadership that they were having trouble with the removal of the spousal defense against rape. It’s very disheartening.” Senate Judiciary B Chairman Joey Fillingane stated that he supported the bill’s intent. He even wrote a similar one. However, Fillingane claimed that there were many bills in both chambers this session which were aimed at changing rape laws. Fillingane stated, “Anytime there are that many, it means that it’s probably worth having hearings out of the session and making some sweeping changes rather than nine different bills.” Fillingane stated that there might be some opposition to the removal of the spousal defence. However, that was not the main concern. Fillingane also said that “I think people believe that this is archaic terminology that doesn’t match with 2022, which I agree with.” Fillingane suggested that Mississippi’s general legal code may still contain a lot antiquated language and should be rewritten. READ MORE: Mississippi’s divorce laws are irrevocably broken. This Senate bill would help. The Senate bill that died Tuesday would have removed language from the law that stated that a person wouldn’t be guilty of rape and sexual battery if the victim was the defendant’s legal spouse at time of offense and the couple are not separated or living apart. The law would be amended to say that a spouse can be found guilty for sexual battery if he or she forcibly penetrates without consenting to the victim. McLean asked, “What about if the spouse was drunk or on drugs?” McLean asked, “Should it be OK, because she wasn’t fighting him or because she passed out?” McLean stated that she believes that a lot of prosecutors prefer the state’s sexual assault laws to the rape statute, which has harsher penalties. Another attempt to bring Mississippi’s laws up to the 21st Century failed — again without a vote — at Tuesday’s deadline. Senate Bill 2643 would have made it possible to divorce a “irrevocably dissolved” marriage. Sen. Brice Wiggins authored this measure. It was part of a long-running and often unsuccessful effort to amend the state’s outdated, misogynistic divorcing laws. These laws trap spouses in dangerous, abusive, and sometimes abusive family situations. Mississippi and South Dakota are the only states that have a unilateral no fault divorce ground. The Mississippi divorce ground of “irreconcilable differing” requires the consent of both spouses. This makes it difficult and costly to get a Mississippi divorce. It also allows one spouse, often for many years, to delay the process. The bill was approved by the Senate but passed without being voted on by the House Judiciary A Committee. Wiggins stated that the bill’s language was included to an amendment to the House Equal Pay Bill, so technically it is still in existence.