Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, May 6, 1993                   TAG: 9305060474
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-16   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

RHETORIC DOESN'T MAKE IT RIGHT

My American Heritage Dictionary defines rape as "the crime of forcing another person to submit to sexual intercourse." How does Justin Askins (April 7 commentary, "Women should take their part of responsibility for `date rape' ") find this crime, under any circumstances, to be understandable?

It is still difficult to convince people, even in this so-called enlightened day and age, that when a woman says no, it means no. The man's state of arousal is not an issue, but of paramount importance is a woman's right to determine what happens to her body.

Rape is a violent crime and should be treated as such. Cloaking an argument in the rhetoric of the ivory tower does not change this fact. SYDNEY SOWERS BUCHANAN