Unwed couples in Utah are just one signature away from being granted the legal freedom to have sex.
Since 1973, fornication (sexual relations between two unmarried people) has been recognized as a Class B misdemeanor in the state of Utah. However, on Tuesday, March 5, the Utah State Legislature passed a bill to repeal the 46-year-old ruling and make consensual sex outside of marriage legal again. Now, they’re just waiting for Governor Gary Herbert to sign off on the legislation
The video below details the process of how the repeal came to be.
“As with all bills, our team will review the specific language before the governor takes out his signing pen,” the office of Governor Gary Herbert said in a statement to The Hill regarding the repeal. “We are, however, supportive of this update to Utah’s criminal code.”
The repeal has been passed in an effort to update the state’s criminal code, but not all members of the senate, especially those of a conservative point of view, were in support of the bill. The voting results were relatively neck-and-neck, with 41 in favor and 32 opposed.
“What is legally is often far below what is morally right,” Rep. Keven Stratton, R-Orem said in response to the bill, according to FOX 13. “And I recognize our laws are not strong enough to rule a immoral people.”
Rep. Keven Stratton
via YouTube
Well, what do you think about this new bill?
Do you think this is a sign of great progress in Utah for allowing its people more sexual freedom, or is this a shameful surrender to inexcusably sinful behavior?
Let us know in the comments below!