The Boston Globe’s Cathy Young has an excellent piece in Reason in which she discusses the need for legislative review of rape shield laws, laws that — though well-intentioned — often times place unfair burdens on criminal defendents. Here’s a taste:

When rape shield laws were first enacted as part of the rape law reforms initiated by the feminist movement, they were a response to truly abusive practices. Just 30 years ago, jurors in rape cases were often formally instructed to consider evidence of ‘unchaste character’ (such as going to bars alone, extramarital liaisons, and use of birth control) as detracting from the complainant