New York has officially decriminalized adultery, repealing a 1907 law that made cheating on a spouse a misdemeanor punishable by up to three months in jail, according to a report.
Governor Kathy Hochul signed the repeal on Friday, declaring the law outdated and unnecessary, AP reported.
"While I've been fortunate to share a loving married life with my husband for 40 years...I know that people often have complex relationships," Hochul said. "These matters should clearly be handled by these individuals and not our criminal justice system. Let's take this silly, outdated statute off the books."
The rarely enforced law defined adultery as engaging in sexual intercourse with someone other than a spouse while married. It was last applied in 2010, though the charge was ultimately dropped. Since the 1970s, only about a dozen people have been charged under the statute, with just five resulting in convictions.
Originally introduced to make divorces harder to obtain, the law had long been criticized for being antiquated and difficult to enforce.
"Laws are meant to protect our community and to serve as a deterrent to anti-social behavior. New York's adultery law advanced neither purpose," Assemblymember Charles Lavine, who sponsored the repeal bill, stated Friday.
New York joins other states in eliminating adultery bans, reflecting a shift toward viewing such personal matters as outside the purview of criminal law.
