Virginia fornication law repeal one step closer to law

Virginia lawmakers looking to take fornication law off the books

Lawmakers in Virginia are looking to eliminate an archaic law forbidding sexual contact outside of marriage.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Lawmakers in Virginia are closing a legal loophole that could charge unmarried people with a crime for having consensual sex.

The House of Delegates passed a bill this week that aims to repeal the crime of fornication, which makes it illegal for people to have consensual sex outside of marriage.

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(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Currently, fornication is a Class 4 misdemeanor and carries a fine of up to $250. Del. Mark Levine, D-Alexandria, introduced House Bill 245 to repeal what he called a Victorian-era law.

The Virginia Supreme Court declared the law unconstitutional in 2005.