New Jersey Pol Introducing Bill To Re-Criminalize Incest
TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A New Jersey assemblywoman is introducing legislation Thursday that would outlaw incest.
Currently, state law prohibits people from marrying an immediate relative, but incestuous sexual acts among consenting adults are not illegal, WCBS 880's Levon Putney reported.
New Jersey Pol Introducing Bill To Outlaw Incest
Assemblywoman Marlene Caride, D-Bergen/Passaic, recently read a New York magazine article that detailed how an 18-year-old woman in the Great Lakes region is marrying her long-estranged father and planning to move to New Jersey because incest is legal there.
"When I read that, I thought there might have been a mistake with the article," Caride said.
But after researching the matter, Caride found that incest was decriminalized in the late 1970s while the state was revamping criminal laws, Caride said.
"And (lawmakers) never got around to making it a criminal offense again," she said.
If the bill passes, violators could face three to five years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000.
