A century-old law that could have jailed a man for up to three months for cheating on his partner has now been repealed.
On November 22, New York repealed its rarely used 1907 adultery law. Accordingly, cheating on one's spouse, if proven true, could land the adulterer in jail for up to three months. Reason for repealing the law: It was too difficult to enforce and was considered outdated for a long time.
Gov. Cathy Hoechl signed a bill on Nov. 23, repealing the law. Commenting on this, she said, “While I have been fortunate to share a loving married life with my husband for 40 years – it is somewhat ironic to me that adultery is a crime. Sign the giving bill – I know people often have complicated relationships. These matters should be handled clearly by these individuals, not our criminal justice system. Let's end this stupid, outdated law once and for all So remove it from the books.
In New York, adultery was defined as when a person “has sexual intercourse with another person while he or she has a living spouse, or the living spouse of another person.” The 1907 law was reportedly used for the first time against a married man and a 25-year-old woman just weeks after it went into effect, according to the New York Times.
While the law has now finally been repealed, New York has been debating overturning the outdated adultery law for years. For example, lawmakers in the 1960s came close to repealing the adultery law but kept it up when a politician said repealing it would make it appear as if the state was encouraging marital infidelity. Yes, according to a 1965 New York Times report.
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