Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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Members can joke about the wording but somebody who begins a sexual act and does not realise what it entails could then withdraw his or her consent. That is the point of subparagraph (h). I am willing to wait to see what the Minister produces as long as we have an opportunity to then amend it. These definitions have been suggested by people who deal with rape victims; they were not drafted off the top of my head. While we can have something loose, "voluntary" can also be misinterpreted. Where victims and women, in particular, are concerned, there is a great deal of victim blaming rather than examination of the issues. I do not favour something as loose as that. Unfortunately, this needs to be clearly defined and I will wait to see what the Minister produces.