German man guilty of drugging, raping, filming his wife for years

Affirmative consent is increasingly the norm, (e.g. see [California’s](https://apps.rainn.org/policy/policy-crime-definitions.cfm?state=California&group=9), [Canada’s](https://www.leaf.ca/news/the-law-of-consent-in-sexual-assault/), [Spain’s](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/26/spanish-parliament-approves-only-yes-means-yes-consent-bill), [Sweden’s](https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-05-26/swedens-new-law-affirmative-consent-hailed-questions-remain), [Australia’s](https://theconversation.com/most-states-now-have-affirmative-sexual-consent-laws-but-not-enough-people-know-what-they-mean-225655), [France’s](https://time.com/7330026/gisele-pelicot-france-rape-law-updated-affirmative-consent-force-oecd/) etc.). A requirement for affirmative permission [reflects the contract-like nature of the sexual agreement; the partners must actively negotiate to change the conditions of a joint enterprise, rather than proceed unilaterally until they meet resistance.](https://med.virginia.edu/biomedical-ethics/wp-content/uploads/sites/129/2021/09/Rape-Adjacent-Nonconsensual-Condom-Removal.pdf) Logically, it makes much more sense for a person who wishes to initiate sexual activity to get explicit permission for the particular sexual activity they would like to engage in, rather than the receiving party having to preemptively say “no” to the endless list of possible sexual acts.