MOSCOW, March 13 – RAPSI. The Dutch Supreme Court held Tuesday to remove kissing with tongue from the list of offenses that can be charged as rape under the country’s criminal code.

While forcing an unsuspecting victim to make out is still an offense, it will now be treated as a form of indecent assault, punishable by up to eight years – a significant reduction from the 12-year sentencing maximum available for rape.

In 1998, the Dutch Supreme Court had ruled that the rape article in the criminal code should not be limited to unwanted penetrations of the orifices most traditionally associated with rape.

The case arose from a forced tongue kiss that occurred in a hospital bathroom in 2008.