New Swedish law: Sex needs explicit consent

LONDON— Sweden on Wednesday passed a new law that would require explicit consent for sex. The absence of explicit consent would make the sex rape, the new law said. With the new law, Sweden joined a small number of countries, including Britain and Canada, where sex without consent and even with no accompanying violence constitutes a crime. The law, to take effect on July 1, stressed that passivity was not a sign of agreeing to sex.—