What are your views on marital rape?

There is a very interesting book called "Men, Women and Rape" by Dr. Susan Brownlow, written back in the '70's, I think.
After interviews and surveys, she came up with the following:
1) Rape is a crime of control and power. The rapist's lust or desire is focussed on controlling the victim. Hence, little old ladies getting raped.
2) Rape is committed by one nation to another. Look at all the women raped by the enemy forces. It makes the vanquished forces appear powerless.
3) Most non-military rapes are committed by young men who feel powerless or out of control in their own lives and become lustful when forcing a woman to do their bidding.
Marital rape, as coloco says is perpetrated when a man feels his wife is his chattel, not his equal partner. It can also be used to enforce his power. These men usually abuse their wives in other areas, too, to keep them under their control.

So that means there is no marital rape. Its still rape. Regardless. So lets not call it marital rape.

Now it makes the question pretty obvious. It should say What are your views on rape?

I think rape is rape regardless of who is involved.

No male should use his no no spot as a weapon of force in a female no matter what the situation. That is NOT love. Especially if the female starts to bleed and the male says "Good! I want it to bleed!" which I experienced, only I wasn't married. This shows that the male has no remorse and beatings or murder more than likely will follow sooner or later. Think about it.....what would stop him if the male does NOT care.

Its the same thing as spousal abuse & should be prosecuted as rape/assault & battery. If it was up to me to judge & all the evidence pointed to abuse- I would sentence the abuser to (lethal injection)

That would assume that women a chattel to the man, and in some eastern cultures that is the case. In that event, no.

For my moral code, yes, I think it can happen, I have seen some guys who are pretty big jerks.

Rape is a hate crime and the thought of it makes me ill.

Rape is rape regardless of marital status.

I'm sure it happens, but it's far more boring than when they're not married, and that's saying something, cause even then it's pretty damn boring.

To me, sexual practices with another should WITHOUT EXCEPTION be consensual.

Rings and vows do not equal ownership.

A law was recently passed in Iran granting the husband the rights to starve his wife if she does not submit sexually to her husband. As far as I am concerned, this instantly makes every single wife living in Iran a victim of rape. With a law like that, how can they even know themsleves if they submit willingly or if they fear repercussions?

It's rape if either person engaging in the act of intercourse does not do so with an open heart, willing and able to engage in intimacy with the other person as an act of love and not fear.

They both have to be willing. One of them can do it out of 'duty' to the other, but it can't be against their will.

I agree that rape is rape unless its consensual.

However, i've come across some couples who've have told me of sexual blackmail.
Whereby, a woman refuses to indulge in sexuial activity with her spouse unless there are some form of benefits attached which to put in very bluntly, has similarities to legal prostitution.

Which is worse, i don't know, but if we talk abt marital rape its also worth pondering over the reasons. Abuse is definately unacceptable but what about sexual balckmail?