North Dakota Decides If You're Unmarried And Living Together, It's A 'Sex Crime'

[bloodrayne]

Senator Urges A Repeal Of Cohabitation Law

North Dakota's Legislature is encouraging disrespect for the law by making it illegal for a man and woman to live together without being married, a legislator says.

If North Dakota prosecutors began enforcing the anti-cohabitation law, which provides a 30-day jail term and a $1,000 fine, the state would need a "$10 billion prison," Sen. Tracy Potter, D-Bismarck, said Wednesday.

"We're saying that we have optional laws, laws that we don't really mean," Potter said during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the repeal measure. "We shouldn't have laws like that."

Tom Freier, a spokesman for the North Dakota Family Alliance, said repealing the measure would signal that the state doesn't value marriage and the societal benefits it brings.

"If we look at the research, social science evidence suggests that living together is not a good way to prepare for marriage, or to avoid divorce," Freier said. "Cohabitating is not positive for the family, and poses a special risk for women and children."

North Dakota is one of the few states that outlaws cohabitation, which is defined as a man and woman living together "openly and notoriously" as if they were married.

It is listed as a sex crime in state law, alongside adultery and incest. There are few records of a cohabitation case being prosecuted, aside from a North Dakota Supreme Court appeal in the 1930s.

Attempts to repeal the anti-cohabitation law have failed in the last two sessions of the Legislature. Two years ago, a repeal bill was defeated in the North Dakota House.

Dr. David Popenoe is Professor of Sociology at Rutgers--The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick. He serves as Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School where he oversees the social and behavioral science departments "If the family trends of recent decades are extended into the future, the result will not only be a growing uncertainty within marriage, but the gradual elimination of marriage in favor of casual liaisons, oriented to adult expressiveness and self-fulfillment. The problem with this scenario is that children will be harmed, adults probably no happier, and the social order could collapse."

~Parents who cohabit break up at a higher rate than married parents and the children suffer.

~People are more likely to cohabit if their parents have been divorced.

~Cohabitation has become a lifestyle for people who are less committed to marriage.

~Lower levels of happiness, sexual enjoyment, and well-being than married couples.

~Cohabitation may lead to marital failure.

~Cohabiters are nine times more likely to split up than married couples.

~Cohabitation (lack of stability) is harmful for children.

~Living together is not necessarily a transition period that leads to marriage.

~42% of cohabiters disagree on the future of their relationship, 10-30% of cohabitors never plan to marry.

~Over 25% of unmarried mothers are cohabitating at the time of their children’s birth.

~40% of cohabitating couples have children.

~Rates of depression are three times higher in cohabitating women.

~Cohabitating women are more irritable, anxious, worried, and unhappy.

~Assault is 62 times more likely among cohabitating couples.

~Children living with their mothers and an unmarried partner display high levels of problem behavior at home and at school and also have low academic performance.

~The poverty rate for children is five times higher for children living with cohabitating parents than those living with intact families.

[Vodstok]

So, a few people living together, having sex, but not being married is going to lead directly to the fall of all society as we know it... Maybe its me, but that does feel just a tad alarmist.

[newb]

It should be "married & living together" .....that right there is the "sex crime"....cause of the lack of sex once you get married........being the crime........forget it.:rolleyes:

[bwind22]

This reminds me of a great NOFX song.


Here's a few exerptsthat I specifically thought of while reading this form "Leaving Jesusland" by NOFX.

We call the heartland "Not Very Smartland"
IQ's are very low, but threat levels are high
They got a mandate, they don't want man dates,
they got so many hates and people to despise

The fear stricken, Born Again Christians, they got a vision of a homogenized state
Textbooks define intelligent design
They want them memorized, but don't want you to think

They don't want visitors in Jesusland
They want life canned and bland in the fatherland

[Vodstok]

wow. That is surprisingly deep. And accurate.

God, i hate the midwest.

[bwind22]

Originally Posted by Vodstok

wow. That is surprisingly deep. And accurate.

God, i hate the midwest.

That shouldn't surprise you. NOFX is extremely socially conscious and generally makes great points.

Me too. I'm stuck right in the middle of it the midwest, but at least I'm lucky enough to live in one of the few major metropolitan areas. (Minneapolis/St. Paul)

[bloodrayne]

Personally...I don't think a piece of paper changes things in any way

If you're living together and you're not really committed to each other (which is an example they gave), then you won't be any MORE committed if you get married.

Getting married doesn't make you love someone any more or less than not.

Marriage is a ceremony that's supposed to 'unite' a couple. A marriage certificate is just a document that says the ceremony was performed.

People can be 'united' without it.

As for the 'abuse' thing. If you're gonna beat your girlfriend...You're gonna beat your wife.

This entire thing is stupid.


A marriage license costs $40...A divorce costs everything. Seems more like a 'trap' than anything else.

OH...And...I've done the marriage thing AND the living together thing. I can honestly say, there's no difference.

[Vodstok]

I like having a "wife", but the mountain of shit Bree had to go through with the post marriage name-change really made me look at things differently.

And yes, it is a trap. She's stuck with me now :D