Don’t Blame The Matchmaker, Blame The Rapist

Dating website Match.com has announced plans to screen those looking for love against the US sex offenders database.

The move comes after an LA woman, known only as “Jane Doe,” launched a lawsuit against the site after a man she met online allegedly raped her.

The woman, an Ivy League graduate working in the media, met her alleged attacker on Match.com last year. At first she thought he was “charming,” but claims he forced her to have sex with him on their second date.

The woman’s lawyer, Mark L.Webb, said his client later checked the sex offender database and found the man had been convicted of repeated sexual battery.

A Match.com spokesperson said the cross-checking plans had been in the works before the case, but that the incident had hastened the process.

Honestly, this move seems a little reactionary, and whether it will prevent further women from being abused, remains to be seen.

Firstly, the cross-checking measures are not infallible and sex offenders are likely to slip through the cracks. Furthermore, what about singles with other types of criminal records? Will women (and men) be safe from rapists but not from murderers, burglars or con artists?

Salon argues the check will do nothing but create a false sense of security, as only a small percentage of sex offenders are reported, let alone convicted.

It is also interesting to consider the types of acts that may land someone on the sexual offenders registry. For instance, should a man be prevented from using an online dating service because he was charged with having sex with his 17-year-old girlfriend when he was just 18?

There will always be an element of risk involved in going home with someone you do not know well, whether you meet them online, at the grocery store or through a mutual friend.

Unfortunately, that’s the way it is.

But invading privacy for a measure not proven to be successful, and dragging peoples’ names through the mud, does not seem to be the brightest way to tackle sexual assault and minimize harm.

Contact the author here: brianna@morningquickie.com