Iowa SF401 modifies the defenses of justification and diminished capacity for certain violent crimes.

Iowa SF401 specifies that the defenses of justification and diminished capacity are not available when a person who is the subject of a nonviolent sexual advance commits a violent crime or an assault upon another person as a result of that sexual advance or solely as a result of the person’s discovery of, knowledge about, or potential disclosure of the victim’s sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The bill amends the Code to clarify when these defenses cannot be used.

Iowa SF401 modifies the defenses of justification and diminished capacity for certain violent crimes.

Iowa SF401 specifies that the defenses of justification and diminished capacity are not available when a person who is the subject of a nonviolent sexual advance commits a violent crime or an assault upon another person as a result of that sexual advance or solely as a result of the person’s discovery of, knowledge about, or potential disclosure of the victim’s sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The bill amends the Code to clarify when these defenses cannot be used.