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  • In July and August 2015, a dating service for married people was hacked, and information

  • about its users was made public. As a result, several lawsuits have been filed against the

  • website itself. But what about those whove been exposed as adulterers? Where is adultery

  • illegal, and what are the punishments?

  • Well adultery is defined as sexual relations between a married person and anyone except

  • their spouse. Historically, it has carried harsh punishments, primarily directed at women.

  • While cheating wives could be killed for the act, men would often be given much more lenient

  • punishments, if at all.

  • Today, in predominantly Muslim countries, male-dominated societies still have severe

  • punishments for adultery ranging from fines to imprisonment, flogging or the death penalty.

  • In 2008, a human rights group reported that a young woman in Somalia was stoned to death

  • for adultery, even though she claimed she’d been raped. In Syria, husbands whohonor

  • killtheir cheating wives are treated more sympathetically than other murderers. Prison

  • sentences are often no longer than 7 years. Women in these regions can be charged despite

  • limited evidence, or refused a trial at all and subjected to violent vigilante justice.

  • On the other hand, in much of the developed world, adultery is very rarely prosecuted.

  • The only situation where adultery would make a legal difference is in the event of a divorce.

  • Chile, for instance, doesn’t consider adultery a crime. But, it IS considered an infraction

  • against theduty of faithfulness”, and the spouse may be entitled to more money in

  • a divorce. In fact, a Pew poll revealed that in countries like France and Germany, citizens

  • are some of the most accepting of extramarital affairs.

  • But attitudes in the US towards adultery have been mixed. 20 states still have anti-adultery

  • laws on the books. Punishments can range from minor fines in Maryland, to years in prison

  • in Michigan. Military personnel can also face dishonorable discharge for committing adultery.

  • For civilians, prosecution for adultery is extremely rare. The last publicized case was

  • in the early ‘90s. For the most part, adultery laws are left on the books because communities

  • see them as enforcements to society’s moral standards. Major decisions from the US Supreme

  • Court in 2003 and 2015 have severely restricted the government’s ability to prosecute adults

  • for their sexual and marital preferences.

  • Worldwide, although adultery is much less often prosecuted, it is still a difficult

  • issue to legislate based on cultural, religious, and personal biases. Luckily, the severe punishments

  • against women have been lessening in recent years, and in many countries eliminated altogether.

  • Some states in the US still have crazy sex laws on the books. What are they? Watch this

  • video to find out. Thanks for watching TestTube News! Remember to like and subscribe so you don’t miss out on new videos.

In July and August 2015, a dating service for married people was hacked, and information

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