antikoan

 |::| Sunday, June 30, 2002

 |::| Another really, really good reason not to move to Atlanta  1:07:37 PM 

From Daypop, a link to a story on Georgia's "Bedroom law" (more properly, it's "Fornication Statute") at the Atlanta Journal-Constitueion [non-redirected link]

It seems that it's actually illegal in the state of Georgia to have sex out of wedlock. Now, let me get this straight: They have a law on the books that specically says that it's illegal for a person under 16 to have consensual sex. They permit people to get married at something like 13 (with a judge's consent). And it's illegal to have sex at all out of wedlock. Something's not making sense, here...

Here's a couple of interesting quotes from the story:

[Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny] Porter, however, added that the "get-the-government-out-of-the-bedroom rhetoric used by the ACLU is nice to hear, but it's not the practical use this statute is put to." Most often, he said, the fornication statute is used to prosecute public sexual conduct.

"I don't think the government -- and I know I don't -- has any intent [of] going into the bedroom of consenting adults," he said. "But the state does have a legitimate interest in trying to control the sexual activity of juveniles."

"...[I]t's not the practical use this statute is put to." Um... That's exactly the problem. This may be an antiquated law, and it may be put to "good" end more often than bad (though I hardly see how it benefits the girl to get sent to boot camp for having sex). But the fact that it's not put to it's intended use is a huge problem.

As is, this law is simply a random tool that the State of Georgia can whip out whenever it doesn't like somebody. Catch some political opponent screwing around on his/her spouse? Don't worry about bribery or trying to get it into the papers -- you're in Georgia, now! Arrest the bugger!