Adultery can be punishable by law only if your spouse files a complaint
If you commit adultery and your significant other doesn’t give a hoot – you’re in the clear. If they file a complaint then you’ll be facing a felony.
750.30 Adultery; punishment.
Sec. 30.
Punishment: Any person who shall commit adultery shall be guilty of a felony; and when the crime is committed between a married woman and a man who is unmarried, the man shall be guilty of adultery, and liable to the same punishment.
History: 1931, Act 328, Eff. Sept. 18, 1931 ;–CL 1948, 750.30 .
Former Law: See section 1 of Ch. 150 of R.S. 1846, being CL 1857, 5856; How., 9277; CL 1897, 11688; CL 1915, 15462; and CL 1929, 16817.
750.31 Adultery; complaint and time of prosecution.
Sec. 31.
Complainant and time prosecution to be commenced No prosecution for adultery, under the preceding section, shall be commenced, but on the complaint of the husband or wife; and no such prosecution shall be commenced after 1 year from the time of committing the offense.
History: 1931, Act 328, Eff. Sept. 18, 1931 ;–CL 1948, 750.31 .
Former Law: See section 3 of Ch. 158 of R.S. 1846, being CL 1857, 5858; CL 1871, 7693; How., 9279; CL 1897, 11690; CL 1915, 15464; and CL 1929, 16819.
In a court where I served as constable (court officer) in the 1960s, I know of one case where the husband, accompanied with a photographer, broke into his own house, caught the wife “in the act” with another man, and prosecution resulted. A criminal arraignment was held before a justice of the peace. Photographs were introduced as evidence, and the wife was “bound over” for trial into the circuit court. The justice of the peace later (privately) commented that the husband then used the pending criminal prosecution as a bargaining chip to save himself a half of a million dollars in a divorce property settlement. In retrospect, I muse that perhaps these laws were enacted exactly for such purposes.
because women love it when they’re spouse cheats on them, are you completely sexist>? you certainly sound like it, i’ll bet a great deal of court adultry cases are filed by women anyway.
Laws and taboos against adultery are one way men claim ownership of female bodies, female fertility and female power. patriarchy is, simply stated, the appropriation of female power by insecure and jealous males.
The founding fathers were for these laws for they add to the stability of our nation and civilization. The Reason you don’t like them is because they cross your inordinate affections. People who don’t like them only care about pleasing themselves and don’t care about hurting others and costing the state in costs ranging from welfare to disability to prison expenditures all due to a broken family structure which is the backbone of civilization.