A 200-year-old law criminalizing marital infidelity in New Hampshire could be repealed this year. Boston television station WCVB reported that the state House of Representatives last week voted 268-29 to repeal the law. A spokesman for Gov. Maggie Hassan told the Associated Press that she would likely sign the repeal if it gets approval from the legislature, according to the Washington Post.
Twenty-one states still consider adultery a crime. Adultery is a married person sleeping with somebody other than that person’s wife or husband. The law has made adultery illegal in New Hampshire for 200 years, is a Class B misdemeanor that can be punished with a fine of up to $1,200. The Judicial Branch reports that the law hasn’t been enforced in more than a decade.
The Washington Post reported that, 22 states still have adultery laws on the books; among them is New York. Syracuse.com has reported that in Massachusetts a person convicted of adultery could get up to three years in prison, according to The Associated Press. According to data compiled by the National Conference of State Legislatures, in Rhode Island, anyone engaged in an adulterous affair faces a fine of up to $500.
New Hampshire would join neighbors Maine and Vermont, both of which recently did away with their adultery statutes, if the repeal goes through. If passed and signed into law, the bill would take effect on January 1.
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