Fornication
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fornication is a term which refers to sexual intercourse between consenting unmarried partners. Sex between unmarried persons is distinguished from adultery by use of the term 'simple fornication'.
The origin of the word derives from Latin. The word fornix means "an archway" or "vault" (in Rome, prostitutes could be solicited there). More directly, fornicatio means "of the archway"; thus a euphemism for prostitution.
Fornication is dealt with differently in various religions, societies and cultures.
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[edit] Religions
For a broad overview, see Religion and sexuality.
[edit] Laws
The laws on fornication have historically been tied with religion, however in many countries there have been attempts to secularize constitutions, and laws differ greatly from country to country. Most Western countries and some Muslim countries like Turkey and Azerbaijan have no laws against fornification if both parties are above the age of consent.
[edit] United States of America
Historically, in the context of the laws of states of the United States, fornication, generally defined as (vaginal) sexual intercourse between two unmarried persons of opposite sex, had been a crime. Most of these laws were either repealed, were not enforced, or were struck down by the courts as unconstitutional. See also State v. Saunders, 381 A.2d 333 (N.J. 1977), Martin v. Ziherl, 607 S.E.2d 367 (Va. 2005).
With respect to fornication between same-sex persons, or sodomy, the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas rendered the states' remaining laws unconstitutional.
Some states though, continue to enforce laws on fornication and adultery.[1]
In recent years the morality of premarital sex has become a politically divisive issue in the United States, since the prohibition of premarital sex is the basis for abstinence-only sex education, a program advocated by President George W. Bush and many conservative members of Congress. The policy is opposed by groups such as Planned Parenthood and most members of Congress, and the debate over abstinence-only education has brought the issue of premarital sex to the forefront of the Culture Wars.
[edit] Islamic Countries
Fornication is a crime in many Muslim countries, and is often harshly punished. However, there are some exceptions. In Pakistan, for example, occasionally a charge is filed in order to prevent the accused from leaving the jurisdiction (for instance it is often used against drug smugglers, against whom it may not be possible to show a prima facie case for trial, but a charge of fornication, which requires a lower threshold, can be filed in the interim as the investigation unfolds.) In certain countries where parts of Islamic law are enforced, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, fornication of unmarried persons is punishable by lashings. This is in contrast to adultery, in which one (or both) of the parties is married, where the punishment would be death by stoning.
Historically speaking, corporal punishment is used for sexual crimes in the Abrahamic faiths. Fornication towards someone else's woman (not a wife or a couple) is treated as a violation of property right, the equivalent of rape or stealing.
In Muslim countries punishment is usually according to sharia laws rather than Qur'anic laws, as stoning does not exist in the Qur'an.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Social Determinants of Attitudes Towards Women's Premarital Sexuality Among Female Turkish University Students
- Sexuality, the Modern World, and the Catholic Church
- Sex, Children, Nature
