# Understanding the Stealthing Act of 2025

This bill makes it illegal to secretly remove a condom or other protection barrier during sex without the other person's permission, and it allows victims to sue for damages in federal court. The practice, called "stealthing," is treated as a form of sexual abuse that violates someone's consent and exposes them to unwanted risks like pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

Right now, only California has a specific law against stealthing. This federal bill would create a civil lawsuit option (meaning victims can sue for money damages rather than relying only on criminal prosecution) for anyone who experiences this violation. The bill is based on research showing this is a real problem—studies cited in the legislation found that about 10 percent of men reported doing this, while about 12 percent of women reported experiencing it. The bill defines stealthing clearly: it's when someone removes a condom, dental dam, or similar protection without everyone involved agreeing to it, and it results in direct skin-to-skin contact that wouldn't have happened with the protection in place.

If someone wins a lawsuit under this bill, they could receive money for their damages (both actual losses and punitive damages meant to punish the wrongdoer), court orders to stop the behavior, and other relief a judge thinks is appropriate. The bill applies to cases involving interstate commerce—meaning situations where someone traveled across state lines, used the internet or mail, made payments across state lines, or the incident happened in federal territory. This interstate requirement is how Congress gives itself the legal authority to create this federal law, since most criminal and civil matters are normally handled by individual states.