The House is voting on legislation to repeal New Hampshire’s unenforced, 200-year-old criminal adultery law.
The original punishments have been softened over the years. Offenders no longer need to stand on the gallows for an hour with a noose around the neck, instead they face a 12-hundred dollar fine.
Durham Democrat Timothy Horrigan is co-sponsoring the repeal bill. Horrigan believes the state should not regulate people’s sex lives.
But Kevin Smith, executive director of Cornerstone Policy Research, says repealing the law would weaken families by diminishing the harmful effects of adultery.
The House is scheduled to vote Wednesday. The Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee is supporting repeal.