The Nation - News from June 4, 1989

Rape victims’ right of privacy would be extended to all crime victims in New York under a bill supported by state Atty. Gen. Robert Abrams. Also backing the measure was Marla Hanson, a model whose face was slashed with razor blades in an attack three years ago. Hanson said she had been humiliated by sexual innuendo by a defense attorney for the suspects in the case even though there was no sexual aspect to the attack. The state’s Rape Shield Law bars defense attorneys from harassing rape victims with inquiries into their sexual histories. The bill would grant this protection to all crime victims, forcing defense lawyers to consult with the judge before introducing evidence of a victim’s sex life.