Marriage Advice: Poll Says, "Send Adulterers To Jail"

A new poll by MarriageAdvice.com reveals startling statistics about people's attitudes regarding adultery.

(PRWEB) February 26, 2007 -- The MarriageAdvice.com poll asked, "Should Adultery Be Prosecuted In Courts?" Of the 585 respondents, 52% said, "Yes!"

Beth Young, Senior Editor at MarriageAdvice.com was surprised to say the least. Young said, "these results imply that solving/preventing the crisis of adultery should be in our court system rather than in our homes, with counselors or clergy."

The purpose of a law is to protect and establish rules in a society. Thus, protecting the society members from actions that could harm one another or impact order. Adultery certainly does harm family relationships. But is the courtroom the best place to solve this problem?

We certainly could debate the effectiveness of legal penalties in preventing murder, rape, robbery, assault, and other crimes that affect the safety or financial stability of our society. However, they certainly do act as a deterrent for some and provide much needed consequences for others.

We could even suggest that the moral decline of a community could lead to additional crimes. But the bigger question is would prosecuting adultery prevent adultery?

Would public humiliation and a requirement to "pay back", heal the marriage that is impacted by adultery? Would it get to the root of the problem that lead the erring spouse down the road of infidelity?

Young responded, "Clearly, the answer is a resounding 'No'. There is definitely a need to heal the marriage that has been violated by adultery. That healing may take on may forms, but prosecution by the courts may not be the best method of healing the marriage."

Many things are lost or weakened due to adultery. So would prosecution help restore or strengthen that marriage? Are we allowing laws to decide what needs to be discovered from the heart and on a very personal basis?

Would the person who was violated be better served in other ways by helping them work through the anger, confusion, mistrust, hurt and heart break of adultery?

If children are involved, making this a public matter will clearly impede the ability of the family to heal from this very private matter.

Would the threat of prosecution provide a deterrent to future offenders? Will a potential adulterer ask themselves the question..."If I get caught...will my spouse prosecute my indiscretion?" Or will they worry about breaking free from the affair for fear that the left behind lover will file charges.

On a more creative side, what if the "sentence" for the crime of adultery was marriage and family counseling, community service and a fine that is paid to a qualified company that helps rebuild trust in families and relationships.

Then perhaps the prosecution of adultery might be worth the time spent in a court room. But unless that "sentence" is part of prosecuting the "crime" of adultery, our communities would be better served if their prosecutors stayed out of the bedroom.

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