Wednesday, October 23, 2002
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Wednesday, October 23, 2002 |
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Fornication law hypocritical in today's society By MONROE ROARK "A fornication law?" My wife's jaw nearly hit the floor. It was obvious that she wasn't expecting to hear anything like this on the nightly local news. She probably wasn't alone. How often does anybody use the word fornication in the year 2002? How many people even know what it means? In case you haven't heard, fornication is sex outside of marriage, and it's still illegal in the state of Georgia. There - I knew that would get your attention. Whereas adultery involves cheating on a spouse, fornication does not. It can be two single, consenting adults. This decades-old statute is back in the news in Georgia because of a teenager in Fayette County who has challenged its constitutionality. The 16-year-old was apparently doing the deed with his girlfriend in her bedroom at about 3 a.m. when her parents caught them one day in September of last year. The youth was charged with a misdemeanor. Along comes the American Civil Liberties Union, carrying the banner for promiscuous teens across the nation. Their attorneys proclaimed that the accused youth had his privacy rights violated. Citing a recent repeal of Georgia's sodomy law, the ACLU has argued that the fornication statute should fall under the same guidelines. A lot of people are missing the point here. The prosecutor was correct in asserting that the boy had no right to privacy since he was in the girl's home without the parents' knowledge. (It would appear that he knew her mom and dad would not approve of his presence in her room at 3 a.m.) The ACLU attorney responded by saying that the girl invited the boy over for the tryst. "It was consensual sexual activity by persons legally able to give consent in a private place," he said. "It's one of those government-in-the-bedroom issues." I don't what he means by "legally able to give consent" in this case, but unless this girl is paying the mortgage, she has no right to privacy here either. The last time I checked, it's the parents who make the rules in the house, as much as that probably pains the ACLU. Since the girl reportedly put a chair under the doorknob to keep out everyone else, it is likely that she knew her actions would be frowned upon. This young woman should thank God for a mom and dad who actually take the time to see what's going on in their house and then raise a fuss when it doesn't meet with their approval. Too many parents either don't bother to keep up with their children or react with a yawn when they do know what's going on. There are plenty of parents who, in a situation similar to this one, would invite the boy over for the night with full knowledge of what the teens had in mind. Adults with alleged intelligence justify this type of thinking by saying that at least they know where their kids are. These are the same people who respond to possible drunkenness and other dangerous behavior on prom night by renting hotel rooms for their children to party in, so they won't be out on the streets. God help them. But as far as a fornication law, it needs to be taken off the books. You heard me right. The state Supreme Court should overturn it as soon as possible. But my reasons are not the same as the ACLU's. It's absolutely hypocritical to have a law such as this in today's society. Teens and adults are bombarded with sex everywhere they turn. They can legally listen to music that glorifies abuse of women and every possible rejection of authority. They can legally watch television shows and movies that depict people having indiscriminate sex with absolutely no hint of possible consequences. Our public schools even teach young people how to be "responsible" when indulging in sexual relationships. But it's irresponsible, even insulting, to expect people to abide by a fornication law when every aspect of our society encourages them to do the opposite. It simply cannot coexist with our culture's "if it feels good, do it" philosophy. It will take a great deal of work on the part of parents and their young people to go against the grain and do the right thing, those who succeed will be motivated by moral and religious reasons. A law will not make any difference here, because self-government requires self-discipline. Most of today's teens, and adults, have a long way to go on that score. [Monroe Roark's Web address is www.mroark.com.]
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