New Law Will Send Mend To Jail For Insulting Women
With a vote of 45 in favour and 3 against, at 5:40pm Thursday, the "Ley de penalización de violencia contra las mujeres” was approved in second reading.

The law has to be signed by Costa Rican president Oscar Arias and will go into effect once it is published in the official government publication, La Gaceta.

The law punishes men who are physically and/or psychologically abusive of women, especially a wife, live-in partner or girlfriend.

Opposition by the Movimiento Libertario failed to stall the passing as it failed to obtain the 10 signatures required to send the legislation to the Sala Constitucional (Constitutional Court).

The new law is controversial as it punishes men severely with six months to up to 35 years in prison, in the case of "femicide".

The new law allows women to defend themselves against abusive partners, who either through physical violence or psychological abuse, exert dominance over the relationship.

A man can now be sentenced from six months to two years for simply insulting, telling her she is fat or other forms of psychological abuse, and from 20 to 35 years where the man is found guilty of murdering a woman.

The current law sets outs the same sentence in the case of murder of a wife or live-in partner, but only in the case where there are one or more children created from the union.

The new law also punishes with from 12 to 18 years in prison for any man who penetrates, against her will, a woman with his penis, either vaginally, anally or orally.

With the final reading and approval, the legislative floor was filled with applause and hugs from the deputies.

The law took eight years to make it to second reading and popular concerns expressed last night is that the new law will definitely affect future relationships, as men will have to be carefully evaluate any marriage or common law living proposal.