Bill To Repeal Colorado Adultery Law Passes House

DENVER (AP) — A bill to erase the crime of adultery from Colorado's law books got approval from House Democrats who say it's an antiquated measure that's rarely enforced and opens the door for invasion of privacy.

The House approved the bill Wednesday, and sent it to the Senate.

Democratic Rep. Daniel Kagan says the adultery law was created before Colorado became a state to reassure women that they would protected if their husbands cheated on them. Kagan's proposal would also repeal the related crime of contributing to "sexual immorality" by providing a place, such as a hotel room, for unmarried people to have sex. That prohibition was aimed at Frontier-era flophouses.

House Republicans who oppose the bill expressed concern that repealing the "sexual immorality" statute removes an enforcement tool against human trafficking.

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