Do you think cheating on your spouse should be illegal?

Question

Wouldn't it make more sense to make it illegal?

If you drive drunk, you get in an accident and you s***w up other's lives, you go to jail.

If you get mad and kill someone, s******g up another's life again, you go to jail.

If you lie in court you go to jail.

If you don't pay your parking tickets for god sakes you go to jail

But you can lie & cheat on your spouse, sleep with others, get people pregnant, devastate entire families, cause expensive divorce cases, cause people to go to therapy/hurt themselves/never get over it, uproot children from their homes if there is a custody issue....etc. etc etc.

Answer 1

I agree with you completely. You couldn't be more right!! People have gone to jail for things far less important things. Maybe (hopefully) someday someone (with the power to) will realize this and do something about it.

Answer 2

powerful statement but i think most of the world would be in jail.

Answer 3

Good question.... sure made me think.

Your points are valid as to why it should be illegal. But, with that said, I disagree. I think the choice, although it can hurt many people, is more about personal conscience (to cheat or not to cheat) than it is about society and its rules we must follow or be punished.

I look forward to seeing how others answered this question - thanks for asking it.

Answer 4

Didn't Bush already make that illegal? Or was it to think about cheating...

Answer 5

This question is a prime example of how people in our country cling to the false sense of security that making something illegal gives them.  We have banned alcohol, guns, drugs, and prostitution and none went away, only got worse.  Making this illegal won't work either, it would only make people feel better.  Maybe raising our kids to have a Little more respect and accountability would work better?

Answer 6

It *IS* illegal in most states - as is oral s*x and s*x before marriage.

You don't see that slowing people down a whole lot.

Try as people might, they cannot legislate their particular brand of morality, no matter how right or wrong they feel they are.

Answer 7

Yeah that's a great way to put most our politicians in jail. Actually forget about jail how about stoning, like they do them in good old Saudi Arabia?

Answer 8

i believe that the one that commits adultery should loose ALL rights to family assets.if you brake the contract of marriage,chances are that you have caused irreparable emotional damage to the one that you have cheated on.should there not be some sort of penalty for causing others such pain.it is far too easy and socially acceptable to get a divorce now days.what ever happened to repairing things instead of just throwing things away,disposable world that we live in,so very sad.

you know recycle instead of adding to the piles of garbage that just keep on growing bigger and bigger every day.

Answer 9

If it's illegal then majority of people will not get married in the first place.  they will live with their partners without the paper...therefore, they can cheat all they want without facing any criminal charges.

Answer 10

It should be but too many who would work on your request and make legal would be in jail.

Answer 11

Sure...I think it should be illegal. if a guy is going to not agree to marriage just because cheating is illegal...I don't want to be married to someone who wants to "keep his options open" anyway. Maybe it would prevent alot of failed marriages because the cheating b******s may not get married to start with.

Answer 12

I like your way of thinking.  Just think though how many people would be in jail for cheating..............*thinking*......I would LOVE to see my cheating, beating ex-husband locked up.  I'm with ya the whole way!

Answer 13

Who care.If this is illegal.people will stop saying I love you or I like you.they will keep their asset far from their loved one,in case the love hormon is gone

Answer 14

YES!YES!YES! It should be i agree with you completely!

Answer 15

YES! While you're at it, let's make everything illegal...let's create a whole bunch of legislative red tape so we can build (and house) more jails and "criminals"...

we need more penalties in this country like we need another hole in the head. How about it's time to do the "opposite" of what we've been doing and actually start rewarding people out there. Yeah, I know it should be intrinsic to stay together, foster a happy marriage, not run red lights, stay in school, buckle your seat belts and "say no to drugs". But jeez man, I think putting a bunch of actions on the books as illegal makes as much sense as saying "pro-choice" is legal, yet those who support it are anti-capital punishment...yeah, this is a society of hypocrisy...so, let's try to change it in a different way from which we are used to...not by punishment, but through reward.

For instance. to try and cut down on divorces (thus all the mess that comes with it), let's reward people who hit "milestone" anniversaries with state-funded or federal "bonuses". People like to get bonuses, and punishment is only a deterrent for so long, just ask the penal system to see how well punishment works...

So, with those milestone anniversaries, there comes a significant advantage, financially, to stay together...and we're talking perhaps a $10,000 bonus for a ten year marriage, or $5 g's for 5 years, some incentive to put down on a new house, or go on a great 5 year anniversary vacation...

forget penalties...they only work, well, strike that...they don't work, except for the sheeple that prefer being punished, but that's a fetish conversation for a different day...

here's to thinking outside the box...

peace,

baldy

Answer 16

I totally agree with you however making it illegal will just hurt the kids even worse.  Yes it is wrong but putting the husband or wife in jail will cause them to lose their job so how would the other get child support.  I also believe that the other shouldn't be able to get married and they should be fixed as well.  It is so much easier getting a divorce now a days there is no reason why a person should cheat.

Answer 17

  Yes.  I do and here is what I think should happen.

1.  Wronged spouse automatically get's custody of any children. Even if it's the father.  Women who spread their legs for another man should not be rewarded w/ child support.  The same goes for alimony.  The wronged spouse should get it(if they have been married long enough).

2.  The wronged spouse will be entitled to half of the cheating spouses assets.  The same will not apply for the cheating spouse.  They will leave the marriage only half of what the put into it and what they had prior to marriage.  The cheating spouse will be responsible for any debt that he/she accured during the marriage as well as 50% of the wronged spouse.

3.  The wronged spouse will have the right to sue the other party in the affair.  Even if she/he does not choose to part from their spouse.  

4.  Women who get pregnant by a married man should only be entitled to half the support that a legitimate child is entitled to.  There are far too many b******s running around.

Of course physical proof would need to be provided.

Answer 18

well for one we dont need anymore laws telling us how to live.  have enough of that breathing down our necks as it is.

prenup.  even if theres no possessions at the time of marriage, you make it contingent that a cheating spouse will loose all.  That at least would keep some people's pants zipped.

Answer 19

Legislating morality has shown not to work.  Sorry... it just doesn't.  SO what would be a better idea?  How about educating our children better on the subject of marriage and letting them make their own choice?  How about accepting the fact that somethings don't work for everyone?  Why add to the trauma of a bad family situation?  That and what would be next?   Should being g*y be illegal?  How about having a mental illness?  I personally don't want the government in my or anyone else's bedroom do you?  

Answer 20

We have rights, we have freedom. Yeah, it would be great, but so would making cigarettes illegal. Plus, this would hurt a lot of relationships. If it's ILLEGAL to cheat, anti-commintment men might have a little more trouble agreeing with marriage (even if they never plan to cheat)

Answer 21

In an ideal world, yes.  But our jails are so packed it would be laughable to jail cheaters.  But divorce is a breach of a legal contract...so should their be a penalty for it as well?

Answer 22

I would say if you are not one to commit then this would be the point of making it illegal (in responce to second poster)  

I do think it should be illegal.  I think that it would make people think twice before they did it plus it might just keep the STDs down a little in our country...

However if we was going to make cheating illegal I guess we should make s*x before marriage illegal as well...

Answer 23

Marriage is a private matter, between consenting adults.  The state should not be involved (in terms of criminal charges) in those affairs (no pun intended) at all.  The courts are already overflowing with non-violent drug offenses, for example, and your idea would simply swamp them.

Each marriage is different, and tolerances are different, as is temperament.  Once you open that door to government investigation of private matters, then what's next?  Tickets for poor housecleaning performance?  Jail time for not enough s*x / conversation / help with the kids?  There's a reason why spouses may not be compelled to testify against their spouse in court.  

Maybe what should happen is some greater requirements to get married, like a government enforced waiting period, or required premarital counselling?  Cheating's a symptom, and the problem is how lightly people take marriage these days.  The solution isn't criminalizing cheating, it's making sure marriage is taken more seriously.

For the record, I don't think a single act of cheating is sufficient grounds for divorce, either.  "For better or for worse," you know?  

Answer 24

Marriage would mean so much more if it was illegal to cheat on your partner.

It might make people think before getting hitched.

I personally would have no problem with it!! But, then you have to definie cheating. Sleeping with once, kissing? Does emotional count?

If you make cheating illegal, you'd have to make telling lies illegal too. It just leaves it open way too much.

But I do like that idea.  

Answer 25

It used to be illegal, but by today's standards, if you bring it up in divorce court, the judge will lecture and embarass you in front of everyone about this being the land of the free.