Rape is a sexual assault on any unwilling victim. The term has been used in conjunction with both heterosexual and homosexual assaults. People often talk about sexual assaults in prisons as rapes, for instance. But the most common legal definition is "carnal knowledge without consent." This appears to apply exclusively to male assaults on females.

Under that definition, rape is a very serious crime. In most states the possible penalty is approximately the same as that for premeditated murder.

Let's examine that definition further:

• "Carnal knowledge" consists of contact with the female genitalia. While that contact is almost always with the penis, that organ need not always be involved. In one case the female organ was penetrated with the neck of a bottle, for instance. Perhaps more to the point, there is no need to prove completion of the sexual act. Rape can certainly have occurred without semen...