The decriminalization of adultery (or no application anymore in places where the laws still exist) throughout the west in the last decades.
en.wikipedia.org
Europe
Adultery is no longer a crime in any European country.
Latin America
Until the 1990s, most Latin American countries had laws against adultery. Adultery has been decriminalized in most of these countries, including Paraguay (1990),[188] Chile (1994),[189] Argentina (1995),[78] Nicaragua (1996),[190] Dominican Republic (1997),[191] Brazil (2005),[79] and Haiti (2005).[192] In some countries, adultery laws have been struck down by courts on the ground that they discriminated against women, such as Guatemala (1996), where the Guatemalan Constitutional Court struck down the adultery law based both on the Constitution's gender equality clause and on human rights treaties including CEDAW.[17] The adultery law of the Federal Criminal Code of Mexico was repealed in 2011.[193][194]
Australia
Adultery is not a crime in Australia. Under federal law enacted in 1994, sexual conduct between consenting adults (18 years of age or older) is their private matter throughout Australia,[195] irrespective of marital status. Australian states and territories had previously repealed their respective adultery criminal laws. Australia changed to no-fault divorce in 1975, abolishing adultery as a ground for divorce.
United States
The United States is one of few industrialized countries to have laws criminalizing adultery.[196] In the United States, laws vary from state to state. Until the mid 20th century most U.S. states (especially Southern and Northeastern states) had laws against fornication, adultery or cohabitation. These laws have gradually been abolished or struck down by courts as unconstitutional.[197][198][199]
State criminal laws against adultery are rarely enforced. Federal appeals courts have ruled inconsistently as to whether these laws are unconstitutional (especially after the 2003 Supreme Court decision Lawrence v. Texas)[200] and as of 2019 the Supreme Court has not ruled directly on the issue.[201]
As of 2019, adultery is a criminal offense in 19 states, but prosecutions are rare
Adultery - Wikipedia
Europe
Adultery is no longer a crime in any European country.
Latin America
Until the 1990s, most Latin American countries had laws against adultery. Adultery has been decriminalized in most of these countries, including Paraguay (1990),[188] Chile (1994),[189] Argentina (1995),[78] Nicaragua (1996),[190] Dominican Republic (1997),[191] Brazil (2005),[79] and Haiti (2005).[192] In some countries, adultery laws have been struck down by courts on the ground that they discriminated against women, such as Guatemala (1996), where the Guatemalan Constitutional Court struck down the adultery law based both on the Constitution's gender equality clause and on human rights treaties including CEDAW.[17] The adultery law of the Federal Criminal Code of Mexico was repealed in 2011.[193][194]
Australia
Adultery is not a crime in Australia. Under federal law enacted in 1994, sexual conduct between consenting adults (18 years of age or older) is their private matter throughout Australia,[195] irrespective of marital status. Australian states and territories had previously repealed their respective adultery criminal laws. Australia changed to no-fault divorce in 1975, abolishing adultery as a ground for divorce.
United States
The United States is one of few industrialized countries to have laws criminalizing adultery.[196] In the United States, laws vary from state to state. Until the mid 20th century most U.S. states (especially Southern and Northeastern states) had laws against fornication, adultery or cohabitation. These laws have gradually been abolished or struck down by courts as unconstitutional.[197][198][199]
State criminal laws against adultery are rarely enforced. Federal appeals courts have ruled inconsistently as to whether these laws are unconstitutional (especially after the 2003 Supreme Court decision Lawrence v. Texas)[200] and as of 2019 the Supreme Court has not ruled directly on the issue.[201]
As of 2019, adultery is a criminal offense in 19 states, but prosecutions are rare
