Greta Rideout arrives in court to testify against her husband, whom she has accused of rape, at his trial. The trial made national headlines since John Rideout was the first man in U.S. history to be charged with raping his wife while they were living together (Oregon, 1978) [600 x 680].

[*Oregon v. Rideout*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_v._Rideout)

[She Was a Victim. She Became a Headline. Here, She’s a Person.](https://archive.is/ydDz9)

John Rideout was acquitted by a jury of eight women and four men. In hindsight, he was most likely guilty. The couple initially reconciled, but divorced months later. In 1979, Rideout was convicted of criminal trespassing for breaking down the door to his now-ex-wife’s apartment. In 1980, he was sentenced to 9 months in jail for violating his probation.

In 2016, Rideout went on trial for raping two women. He was convicted of rape and sodomy and sentenced to 16 years and eight months in prison. In 2021, one of his convictions were overturned since the verdict wasn’t unanimous. At the time, Oregon, was one of only two states in the country to allow non-unanimous verdicts in non-capital felony cases. Rideout’s sodomy conviction resulted from an 11-1 vote. In 2022, Rideout was convicted of sodomy again and resentenced to 25 years in prison. This came after prosecutor Brendan Murphy argued for the lengthier sentence, saying Rideout had a pattern of violence against women.

Now 68, John Rideout is serving his sentence at Snake River Correctional Institution. He is scheduled for release on July 27, 2041.

Until the early 1970s, marital rape was legal in every U.S. state. It was only partially outlawed in Michigan and Delaware in 1974, then completely outlawed in South Dakota and Nebraska in 1975. By 1993, it was illegal in all states. Even now, some states still have more lenient laws for marital rape. Ironically, the United States was still years ahead of the curve compared to other developed countries. For example, in 1967, West Germany’s highest court ruled that wives were obligated to not only unconditionally submit to the sexual advances of their husbands, but feign enjoyment if necessary. The law was not changed until 1997.

This was not caused by an oversight. It was entirely intentional.

Members of the West German Bundestag burst out laughing when Green Party politician Petra Kelly asked whether rape in marriage should be criminalized in 1983. Even in 1997, there was still some opposition to the law, including by current Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Sad it took until 1978, and marital rape still isn’t illegal in large portions of the world.