Sodomy law

A sodomy law is a law which makes certain sexual acts into sex crimes. The term sodomy has in the past been used to refer to any deviant sexual act, often deemed so because such does not lead to procreation. That inclusive interpretation includes oral sex, and bestiality, but the predominant understanding of sodomy relates it to anal sex.

Related Topics:
Sexual acts - Sex crime - Sodomy - Procreation - Oral sex - Bestiality - Anal sex

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It is believed that sodomy laws originated from cultural and religious beliefs as a result of the health complications associated with it. The tissue lining the rectum is the most absorbent of all the body's tissues, therefore an increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases exists.

Related Topics:
Rectum - Sexually transmitted diseases

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While many other parts of the world have, or had, laws against sodomy or other sexual practices, the term sodomy law has mainly been used when discussing the sodomy laws of the United States which were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003.

Related Topics:
United States - U.S. Supreme Court - 2003

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Following Sir William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/blackstone/bk4ch15.htm, the crime of sodomy has often been defined in the past only as the abominable and detestable crime against nature, or some variation of the phrase. This language led to widely varying rulings about what specific acts were encompassed by its prohibition.

Related Topics:
William Blackstone - Commentaries on the Laws of England

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