Читать книгу The Changing Face of Sex - Wayne P. Anderson PhD - Страница 13

Besides the Comstock laws, each state had it own laws as to the legality of certain sex acts. Adultery was illegal in all but five states, but the penalties were markedly different. West Virginia had a $20 fine, whereas in most New England states, it was a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Fortunately, these laws were seldom enforced even when they were called to the attention of the court. For example,in New York,adultery was the only grounds for divorce; and when admitted for the purpose of getting a divorce, the offender was not fined $250 or given the six months in jail the law stipulated.

Fornication or sex between unmarried people was not a crime in 13 states, but the other states treated it as a misdemeanor with punishments of three months to a year in jail. The fact these laws were seldom enforced still indicates that personal sexual behavior was seen as being under the control of the state. Some states even had laws intended to control what a married couple did in private— there was to be no oral, anal or manual touching of sex organs under the laws on sodomy. Again these laws were seldom enforced except in the case of homosexuals.