By Hank Russell
After being unanimously approved by committee, a bill introduced by New York State Assemblyman Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove) that would no longer make adultery a crime in the state will go to a full chamber vote.
On March 5, the Codes Committee voted 22-0 to bring the bill to a vote. A Senate version of the bill introduced by Liz Kreuger (D-New York City); it has yet to go to committee.
Lavine said it was high time that the crime of adultery was repealed, calling the law “archaic” and argued that what two consenting adults do is not the government’s business. “This outdated statute criminalizes sexual behavior between consenting adults.” he said. “It is long past time for us to remove it from the penal code. If a law is not enforced, there is no reason it should be maintained,” he added.
Since 1972, only 13 people have been charged with adultery, according to Lavine. Of those, only five were convicted of the crime. In virtually every one of those cases, there was some other crime involved, and the prosecuting attorney added adultery as just one of many crimes committed.
“Given the millions of instances of adultery over the years, the law was apparently not much of a deterrent,” Lavine said.
Long Island Life & Politics asked Lavine if the bill would affect families, since infidelity accounts for 11% of all divorces, according to research from Gitnux. Lavine said it would not.
This reporter also asked Lavine if there was any opposition to the bill. He said the opposition was “intensely sparse,” adding, “Barely a handful voted against it in the Assembly, with most of them preferring to live in a theocracy.”
He said he received an email from someone opposing the bill. “[The email stated] ‘God is above and He sees all’ my sins,” he recalled. “I responded by thanking the sender and urged him to please to thank God the next time God speaks directly to him and to give her my warmest regards.”