Jailed for sex outside of marriage? No problem, says Family Council
Monday, December 14, 2009 at 8:40 am
- 6 Comments
The Minnesota Family Council told WCCO over the weekend that laws that include fines and jail for sex outside of marriage are a good thing and should be expanded. Minnesota has several laws on the books — laws that are unenforced and definitely sexist — that deal with fornication and adultery.
For instance, Minnesota statute 609.36 says, “When a married woman has sexual intercourse with a man other than her husband, whether married or not, both are guilty of adultery and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than one year or to payment of a fine of not more than $3,000, or both.”
But if a man, whether married or not, has sex outside of marriage, his crime is considered a lesser crime, according to statute 609.34: “When any man and single woman have sexual intercourse with each other, each is guilty of fornication, which is a misdemeanor.”
“We think they’re important. They send a message,” said Tom Prichard, president of the Minnesota Family Council, of the statutes.
Prichard told WCCO that the adultery laws should be even stronger. His group supports the inclusion of men into the law as well.
“When you are dealing with a marriage, it’s not just a private activity or a private institution. It’s a very public institution. It has enormous consequences for the rest of society,” Prichard said.
Jonathan Turley, who runs a popular law blog, says the laws are likely unconstitutional.
“This is, as Mr. Prichard suggests, a matter of great symbolism even if the laws are not enforced. It stands for the proposition that consenting adults can be jailed in the United States for failing to maintain the moral principles of their neighbors.”
Follow Andy Birkey on Twitter6 Comments
Comment posted December 14, 2009 @ 9:48 am
I say go for it. The Republican Party will be decimated.
Comment posted December 14, 2009 @ 7:12 pm
Getting any conservative to try and defend keeping and/or expanding it in public can only be a good thing.
Keep up the great work, Tom! Maybe next time, try to get some of your friendly governor candidates to talk about it on camera, too, please!
Comment posted December 14, 2009 @ 8:13 pm
Only when they manage to outlaw divorce as well, and put some real teeth into this “one man one woman” bit. As it stands now, it’s “One hypocrite, the mother of his children, his first trophy wife, his mistress, his second trophy wife, and maybe a couple more women.”
Comment posted December 31, 2009 @ 3:30 pm
Tom is the pure example of leading his thoughts, and religion and his own personal moral standards and pushing it, and shoving it down anyones throat.
This topic concludes how judgmental he is. His discrimination and bigoted ways is so not christ like its amazing.
The ego of any man thinking that only his way is the way when billions of other people feel, believe and have differences, in life and faith is a shame of a human.
I personally do not condone things for myself, and wish them for my own family members and friends, but when they differ from me, I accept that they are their own being. I respect their thoughts as different than mine and accept that it will be right for them, even if it is not right for me.
If all people thought that way, there would be no war in life.
Its because of the people like Tom Prichard we have war.
Pingback posted May 8, 2010 @ 12:20 am
[...] for a further statutory kick in the crotch, check out Minnesota statutes 609.34 and [...]
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