A quiet New York town got a lot less quiet this week after a married woman became only the 13th person to be charged with adultery in the state for almost 40 years. Suzanne Corona, 41, allegedly had sex with 29-year-old Justin Amend on top of the picnic table of a Batavia, NY, public park, in view of several mothers and children. While police also charged the pair with public lewdness, it's the adultery charge (which could lead to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine) that's troubling commentators. Do we need adultery laws in 2010? (Watch a local report about Corona's crime)
It's any woman's right to commit adultery: "There's no defense for cheating," says Jeanne Sager in the Cafemom blog, The Stir, "but this smacks of a woman being persecuted for her sexual proclivities." Corona reportedly attempted to defend herself, saying that her husband is transgender and that they no longer have sex, but why should she need to offer any defense? "It's up to a woman to consent to have sex with whomever she pleases and for her and her spouse to deal with the consequences."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Will Starmer's Brexit reset work?Today's Big Question PM will have to tread a fine line to keep Leavers on side as leaks suggest EU's 'tough red lines' in trade talks next year
-
How domestic abusers are exploiting technologyThe Explainer Apps intended for child safety are being used to secretly spy on partners
-
Scientists finally know when humans and Neanderthals mixed DNAUnder the radar The two began interbreeding about 47,000 years ago, according to researchers
