Blog #12 Adultery is still a Crime...

Adultery laws have been presented since the Old Testament that stemmed from the concept of “adulterating” or polluting the bloodline of a family when a married woman had sex with someone other than her husband and ran the risk of having another man’s child. Today adultery is still a criminal act but possibility of a guilty person going to jail for this criminal act is doubtful. There are still 23 states that acknowledge adultery as a crime. Some states consider it a misdemeanor such as New York but others such as Idaho or Michigan consider adultery as a felony. Conviction of this crime results in a $500 fine and up to 30 days in jail. Even though many states have eliminated their laws regulating cohabitation, homosexual sodomy and fornication, adultery still remains on the books as law. Many argue that if these sexual acts have been removed from law, adultery should be too. Committing the crime of adultery only seems to stand during divorce and custody hearings. If adultery were removed from law books there would not be any consequences for many of the cases in the courts for divorce. If one party can prove that the other party committed adultery then it is proving that that party is a criminal because they violated their marriage, which is a legal contract. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/15/us/adultery-an-ancient-crime-still-on-many-books.html