Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed a bill Wednesday decriminalizing sex outside of marriage and repealing a 1973 “fornication” bill.
The Republican governor enacted Senate Bill 43, removing sex outside of marriage as a class B misdemeanor and per Utah state law could have resulted in six months of jail time.
The “fornication” law, as it was referred to, was included as “offenses against the family.”
The bill was sponsored by state Senate Minority Leader Karen Mayne and passed in the House of Representatives in March with less than 10 votes.
“What is legally [right] is often far below what is morally right,” Rep. Keven Stratton criticized after the bill passed, according to Fox 13. “And I recognize our laws are not strong enough to rule a [sic] immoral people.”
The governor also decriminalized sodomy and adultery between consenting adults in other measures signed this week.
Mr. Herbert’s office declined to comment.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.