When was adultery illegal

Some 53, South Koreans had been indicted and 35, jailed for the crime since the government started tracking such figures in Naturally, the ruling sent the shares of condom and morning-after pill manufacturers soaring. In the United States, for example, adultery laws enacted in the s and s were often prejudiced against women. Adultery has been decriminalized in Europe and many parts of Latin America. The punishments meted out against women accused of adultery can also be severe. Fornication laws, which effectively make all forms of sex outside marriage illegal : Idaho , Illinois , Massachusetts , Mississippi , South Carolina and Utah.

Why not repeal these laws? Why keep laws on the books that likely violate the Constitution, and are therefore likely to be struck down by a court if challenged?

Well, for a few reasons. Second, more cynically, no legislator wants to champion the cause of decriminalizing adultery or fornication. Even worse, any attempt to repeal these laws is likely to get pushback from some members of the community, particularly religious groups. But has seen interesting movement in this area. So why now? In the US, however, adultery remains technically illegal in 21 states. In most states, including New York, cheating on your spouse is considered only a misdemeanour.

But in Idaho, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, among others, it is a felony crime punishable by prison. The laws remain on the books largely due to inertia, says The New York Times. Getting rid of them would require politicians to vocally oppose them - something few are willing to do. That certainly was not the case in South Korea, whose adultery laws still very much had teeth in the 21st century.

Between and , when adultery was finally decriminalised, more than 5, people were successfully prosecuted for cheating on their partner, CNN reports. Countries governed by Islamic law, including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Somalia, all strictly prohibit zina, or "fornication outside marriage". Prosecutions are common and punishment can include fines, arbitrary detention, imprisonment, flogging and in extreme cases, the death penalty.

Women are overwhelmingly targeted.