Ecuador considers women's right to orgasm

An Ecuadorian legislator has proposed a law designed to ensure women’s rights to sexual pleasure in the South American country.

Assembly member Maria Soledad Vela, recently proposed a change to the country’s constitution that would give women the right to sue their husbands if they are sexually unsatisfied.

She defended the measure as a means to end the traditional roles of women as sex objects or purely reproductive purposes – roles that almost completely exclude their right to enjoy sex.

Although the country has made significant progress in recent years, women continue to struggle for equality in the Andean nation. According to the country’s Office of Gender, women’s pay was 65 percent of the pay received by men for equal work last year. Abuses against women continue to be a problem as well.

Vela defended the law as a means to encourage responsible relationships and spark a dialogue about the state of sexual mores in light of Ecuador’s a male-dominated society.

"Women are only able express their dissatisfaction and problems, to doctors, or in small groups,” she said.

Ecuador’s legislature is currently rewriting the country’s constitution following a referendum held last April at the request of President Rafael Correa.

Other assembly members ridiculed the measure and accused Vela of trying to legislate orgasms.

“A friend of mine told me he was worried that he might get life in prison,” joked opposition Assembly member Leonardo Viteri.

“I never asked for the right to orgasm,” Vela countered. “Only the right to enjoyment.”