6 ms·

Cheating on your spouse is not ethical but it is legal, would you argue for it to become illegal? My point is that it is not a given that ethically dubious act

by cascom 8y ago

Cheating on your spouse is not ethical but it is legal, would you argue for it to become illegal? My point is that it is not a given that ethically dubious actions should be illegal. Furthermore, what is ethically wrong to some may not be so for others.

sremani 8y ago
But if some one cheats in my family, I will use social shaming to put some heat on them. Our criticism on HN will not even have that effect, but its the closest thing to it. That's all. My only point is, "its legal" is not a pass from being socially judged by us plebs.
mdorazio 8y ago
No it's not? In 20 states adultery is an actual crime, and in most others it is a significant factor in determining divorce outcomes.
DannyBee 8y ago
I agree with what you are trying to say, but i must point out: this example may not prove what you think "Cheating on your spouse is not ethical but it is legal, would you argue for it to become illegal?" It was and is in fact illegal for many years precisely because people found it not ethical enough. In english common law, it was even a felony. It is changing (and has changed in a lot of states) precisely because people are more okay with it than they were. In practice, the legality of things is generally decided by the societal consensus around "ethical dubiousness".
- hermitdev 8y ago
  In some jurisdictions in the US, I think it is still illegal to cheat on your spouse, or to knowingly have relations with a person that is married. I think it's a civil penalty, usually not criminal. e.g. The cheated-on spouse would have to file a lawsuit. I don't have anything concrete to cite, just vague memories of a few news articles in the past decade.
  - DannyBee 8y ago
    (I'm a lawyer licensed in 3 states, previously 4 :P) It is definitely illegal in various jurisdictions, and even criminal in many. It's also generally viewed to be no longer federally constitutional since the late 60's due to various supreme court decisions. As a result, most states have struck the laws down over time or repealed them (wikipedia has a map somewhere of this), so you generally only see it as a plea bargaining anymore. IE people will plead to adultery instead of a greater crime. (Yes, it's as weird as it sounds)
5555624 8y ago
> Cheating on your spouse is not ethical but it is legal, Not everywhere. If you are in the U.S. military it's illegal and punishable under Article 134, with a maximum punishment of dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for up to 1 year. Depending on the state, again in the U.S., it can also be a crime. In Virginia it's a Class 4 misdemeanor according to Virginia Code § 18.2-365/ It's also grounds for divorce.

by cascom 8y ago

sremani 8y ago

But if some one cheats in my family, I will use social shaming to put some heat on them. Our criticism on HN will not even have that effect, but its the closest thing to it. That's all. My only point is, "its legal" is not a pass from being socially judged by us plebs.

mdorazio 8y ago

No it's not? In 20 states adultery is an actual crime, and in most others it is a significant factor in determining divorce outcomes.

DannyBee 8y ago

I agree with what you are trying to say, but i must point out: this example may not prove what you think "Cheating on your spouse is not ethical but it is legal, would you argue for it to become illegal?" It was and is in fact illegal for many years precisely because people found it not ethical enough. In english common law, it was even a felony. It is changing (and has changed in a lot of states) precisely because people are more okay with it than they were. In practice, the legality of things is generally decided by the societal consensus around "ethical dubiousness".

hermitdev 8y ago
In some jurisdictions in the US, I think it is still illegal to cheat on your spouse, or to knowingly have relations with a person that is married. I think it's a civil penalty, usually not criminal. e.g. The cheated-on spouse would have to file a lawsuit. I don't have anything concrete to cite, just vague memories of a few news articles in the past decade.
- DannyBee 8y ago
  (I'm a lawyer licensed in 3 states, previously 4 :P) It is definitely illegal in various jurisdictions, and even criminal in many. It's also generally viewed to be no longer federally constitutional since the late 60's due to various supreme court decisions. As a result, most states have struck the laws down over time or repealed them (wikipedia has a map somewhere of this), so you generally only see it as a plea bargaining anymore. IE people will plead to adultery instead of a greater crime. (Yes, it's as weird as it sounds)

5555624 8y ago

> Cheating on your spouse is not ethical but it is legal, Not everywhere. If you are in the U.S. military it's illegal and punishable under Article 134, with a maximum punishment of dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for up to 1 year. Depending on the state, again in the U.S., it can also be a crime. In Virginia it's a Class 4 misdemeanor according to Virginia Code § 18.2-365/ It's also grounds for divorce.