When the worlds of love and law collide it can become a very messy business. However, there are many situations where the law needs to get involved. Fans of the series You on Netflix will agree with us on that. With Valentine’s Day approaching, we are taking the opportunity to look at some of the weird and wonderful love, sex and relationship related laws from across the globe.
By Cara Fielder. Published 10 February 2021. Last updated 11 February 2021.
The weird
According to Cape Cod Online, in 1771, the small town of Truro on Cape Cod passed an order that ‘every single man in the township shall kill six blackbirds or three crows, and shall not be married till they comply with this requisition.’ In the early 1700s crows and blackbirds destroyed corn crops and this rule was put in place to keep the population under control.
In Logan County, Colorado it’s illegal to kiss the lips of a sleeping woman. However, The Gazette doesn’t make it clear whether there’s an exception for acting. Either way, we would recommend avoiding theatre productions of Sleeping Beauty there, just in case.
According to Cosmopolitan, it’s illegal for a woman to have sex with a man while riding in an ambulance in Tremonton, Utah. As well as criminal charges, the woman's name will be published in the local newspaper. They seem to ignore the fact that it takes two to tango and the man involved doesn’t get a mention.
The website She Knows informs us that it’s illegal to have sex in a vehicle with flat wheels in Cottonwood, Arizona. You could receive a fine, one that could be doubled if you have sex on the back seat.
A French law passed during World War I allows women to marry deceased men. It was likely introduced to allow fiancées and girlfriends to obtain death benefits. Mental Floss says the law was clarified in 1950 and new rules made it much harder to marry posthumously by only allowing it with permission of the President of France. Proof is also required that the deceased planned to marry you before they passed away.
It’s illegal for men with moustaches to kiss women in Eureka, Nevada. We agree with Las Vegas Living, they can be scratchy but this takes things a bit far in our opinion.
The wonderful
According to Rocket Lawyer, forgetting your wife's birthday is a crime in Samoa. This is probably something worth considering for wives and husbands worldwide.
Schwartz Law Firm say it’s illegal for a husband to scowl at his wife on Sunday in Detroit, Michigan.
Wichita, Kansas has a law that makes it compulsory to be nice to your mother-in-law. McKinley Irvin state that anyone ‘can divorce their spouse for mistreatment of their mother.’
In Alexandria, Minnesota, no man is allowed to make love to his wife with the smell of garlic, sardines or onions on his breath. According to HuffPost, if his wife requests it, law mandates that he must brush his teeth.
According to The Snake, in Idaho it’s illegal to give your sweetheart a box of chocolates weighing less than 50 pounds (over 22.5 kg). Very generous, but how on earth are you meant to carry it all home?
The understandable
If you’re at an Australian wedding, don’t pipe up during ‘speak now, or forever hold your peace’ pronouncement. Disrupting a wedding or funeral is illegal under the Summary Offences Act 7A and can lead to a fine of up to $7,700. If you’ve got something to say, do it before the wedding.
In London, it’s illegal to have sex on a parked motorcycle. Strangely enough, MCN doesn’t mention whether it’s illegal when the motorcycle is moving.
The Lectric Law Library state that, in Newcastle, Wyoming, sex inside a walk-in meat freezer is prohibited. We can’t help but wonder about the events that led to this requiring a law.
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