- The New York State Legislature passed a bill repealing a 1907 law that criminalized adultery in the state.
- The state Senate approved the bill almost unanimously, and the state Assembly passed it last month.
- Gov. Kathy Hochul will make a final decision after reviewing the bill.
A little-known and little-enforced 1907 law that criminalized adultery in New York state could soon be a thing of the past, as lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday to repeal it. There is sex.
The state Senate approved the bill almost unanimously. New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who is currently in the middle of budget negotiations, will make the final decision. Her office said it would review the bill. The state Legislature passed the bill last month.
Laws prohibiting adultery still exist in several states across the country, but they are rarely enforced. New York’s law was originally enacted to reduce the number of divorces at a time when adultery was the only way to secure a legal divorce.
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Adultery, which is classified as a misdemeanor under state criminal law and punishable by up to three months in prison, is defined in New York as “having sexual intercourse with another person in the presence of a surviving spouse or in the presence of another spouse. is defined as “case”. The person has a living spouse. ”
The New York State Capitol Building photographed on June 30, 2023 in Albany, New York. A little-known and little-enforced 1907 law criminalizing adultery in New York state could soon be a thing of the past, as lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday to repeal it. There is sex. (AP Photo/Ted Shafley, File)
The law has been on the books for more than 100 years, but has rarely been used in recent decades. New York state’s latest adultery charge appears to have been filed against a woman who was caught having sex in a public park in 2010, but was later dropped as part of a plea deal.
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Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Michigan treat adultery as a felony, but several other U.S. states still criminalize adultery, most of which are misdemeanors.
