LAFAYETTE — Abigail Finney stepped up to be the defender of sexual assault victims who might be raped by someone impersonating another person.
Rape in Indiana must be an act of force, sex with a mentally disabled person or sex when the victim is unaware of the action.
It says nothing about having sex with someone mistakenly believing they are another person, such as a boyfriend in a dark dorm room. That was the case for Finney.
After jurors acquitted her accused attacker earlier this month, Finney, 20, of Decatur, Illinois, stepped from behind the veil of protection provided to sexual assault victims and spoke out.
“I’m willing to be kind of a spokesperson for changing the law,” she said, noting that she's been told that state Rep. Sally Siegrist (R-West Lafayette) plans to sponsor a bill making rape by impersonation illegal. “She wants to propose a change in the law next year. I’m definitely willing to put my story and my face behind that.”
Finney's life has changed since Feb. 12, 2017.
“It could happen to anyone,” she said, recalling that she fell asleep that night, snuggling with her boyfriend in his bed in his dorm room.