Brand new. On another very political forum where I am fighting about marriage and its meaning. An issue has arisen. I stated that all 50 states require that spouses, when getting married, to promise "fidelity" or "faithfullness". Others disagree and say that the actual written vows can be written in a number of ways, including NOT reciting the vow of fidelity. Does anyone have a site that sets forth the fidelity part of each (or some) state's laws. Tnks.

There are no state laws that REQUIRE a person to be faithful if that's what you mean. Vows are not a legally binding promise.

P.S. vows can be changed or altered by the bride and groom.

Ok. But I know that about 20 states still have adultry laws, which would make no sense unless such states required married people to be faithful. So, I am guessing some states do require (for example, Marriage Certificate signed by spouses maybe) to be faithful, otherwise, how can one be guilty of adultry.

There might be old laws on the books about adultery, but wedding vows per se', are not a legally binding contract. Do you think that people get arrested when they do not "honor and cherish" their spouse as they avowed?

Dan, why do you believe this in the first place if you don't have any evidence that would bring you to this conclusion? I find that puzzling. Shouldn't the evidence precede any conclusion?

This is what I found on a website called usmarriagelaws.com:


The following states have statutes that concern adultery, but none for fornication, cohabitation, or common-law marriage. In some of them adultery is grounds for divorce only. In others the offending spouse simply forfeits any rights to the innocent spouse's estate. In the rest of them, adultery is a crime that can only be prosecuted by the offended spouse. In a successful polygamous relationship, these need not be obstructive. If the relationship fails, however, the statutory adulterer will be charged.

Connecticut
Delaware
Indiana
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland (Adultery results in a $10 fine and is grounds for divorce)
Missouri
New Jersey
Ohio
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas (Texas does recognize common-law marriages, but apparently only if they are registered with the county clerk)
Vermont

Both states make adultery and fornication misdemeanors, although in Illinois the conduct must be "open and notorious." For interest's sake, we have listed all of the states whose statutes are no worse than Georgia or Illinois. This only means that in these states you are as likely as not, to be able to find a lawyer who will talk to you.

Arizona
Georgia
Illinois
Michigan
Minnesota
New Hampshire (New Hampshire recognizes common-law marriages, but only for inheritance purposes after death)
New Mexico
New York
North Dakota

The following states have laws against cohabitation.

Alabama
Alaska
Arkansas
Florida
Massachusetts
Mississippi
Nebraska
North Carolina
South Carolina
Virginia
West Virginia
Wyoming

The following states recognize common-law marriages, or else make adultery a felony, and are not on the previous lists.

Colorado
Idaho
Iowa
Kansas
Montana
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Utah
Washington D.C.
Wisconsin