Friday, July 28, 2006
Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

So let me get this straight - it's illegal to commit adultery in this country? Because that's the impression I've been getting lately. The other night, I saw this news bit where a woman followed her husband and his mistress to this motel. The man ended up getting arrested. I found that so bizarre. I mean, I know that it's wrong to cheat on your spouse and it shouldn't be done at all, but I didn't think there was a law against it. In any case, I don't think that there ought to be a law at all, simply because it's a private matter between married people. Shouldn't it be enough that adultery is a lawful reason for separation?

I'm not even sure if there really is such a law. Maybe those police officers were just a bit overzealous, or ignorant, or both. Besides, the wife was howling mad, considering her husband cheated on her a lot. Although I'm inclined to opine that she's stupid for tolerating him that long.

It's not that I'm saying people should be allowed to have affairs, but the fact is, adultery is very real and very possible. To have a law against it feels like censorship to me. It's almost tantamount to repressing a human tendency, like protecting married couples from this possibility. While adultery may be immoral, it's one of those ways to tell where you stand in a marriage. If you prevented it by imposing a law, then there's a possibility that unhappy spouses might become repressed - sure they'll be married but then you would never know they wanted out or that they're really assholes. I guess I'd rather have someone cheat on me and find out than stay in a dud marriage because my husband's to chicken to sissy to cheat because he might get caught and sent to prison. Of course, this is all highly idealized because nobody ever follows the law, or at least they try to get around it.

(Needless to say, domestic violence and other issues of abuse in a marriage is another matter entirely. That should be the focus of family law.)

My point is, if you're going to make adultery illegal, you might as well make lying, swearing and the like illegal as well. They all depend on common and moral sense, and people should be allowed to figure these things out for themselves. The law can't presume to curb human behavior.

(This reminds me of a short story by Jessica Zafra, where the world decided to make lying illegal. They had lie detectors, by the way. People went crazy and the human civilization ended. Figures.)
Thus spake Irish || 7:17 PM || 0 comments