Apparently it is, and when I attempted to do a quick check to see what states it was illegal in, I found conflicting information. One site told me that husbands and wives in California could get 15 yrs even if the act occurred in their bedroom. Another site said California was liberated and it was okay as long as it took place between two consenting adults. This site also listed 17 or 18 states where oral sex was illegal.
So I checked another site which claimed to have been recently updated and allowed you to check each state individually. Taking just those states listed on the previous site, I checked each one. In Alabama it is legal if you are married. Arizona repealed its laws in 2001. Oregon repealed its laws in 1972. Washington D.C. repealed its laws in 1995. Oh yes and California repealed its laws in 1976. Interesting in Utah a reform bill to decriminalize sodomy between spouses failed in 1997.
For those of you who may not be up on all the legal terms oral sex is classed as sodomy. Which is termed as contact between a sexual organ and a mouth or anus, and in most places it states that any amount of penetration constitutes an unnatural act.
It is mind boggling to me that such laws continue to exist, for a variety of reasons.
First is that anyone would deem themselves capable of deciding what is “unnatural” between two consenting adults. That’s much like trying to define what is “normal” or what is “obscene”. It varies from person to person and therefore is extremely difficult, if not impossible to define.
Second having been at least on the coat tails of the sexual revolution of the 60’s and 70’s, how could we have ignored these laws being on the books for over 40 years or more.
Third I don’t think I have ever heard a male or female for that matter complaint that they were getting too much oral sex, but I have heard the reverse complaint. In fact I have heard it used as an excuse to have affairs or to frequent prostitutes. And yes there are still laws against adultery on the books and we all know that prostitution is pretty much illegal across the board.
Fourth at least in my experience, the majority of men enjoy oral sex and it seems that the majority of our lawmakers are also male, so wouldn’t it be of benefit to them to repeal these laws?
Finally haven’t we learned that making something illegal or taboo doesn’t stop it from occurring? We can moralize all day but that isn’t going to stop people from seeking out those things they enjoy and find pleasure in. As long as the people involved are consenting and adults, it isn’t the concern of our lawmakers what we are doing in our bedrooms and I certainly don’t care what they do in theirs.
If we are so concerned about disease and its transmission, then how about removing the taboo’s we seem to have about sex and start educating people about sex. We seem to have little problem with our children seeing violence; it’s on television, in the movies, and even demonstrated by their loving parents on their sports fields, yet some these same people actively oppose their children getting correct and accurate information on loving acts between individuals. How to prevent not only disease but unwanted pregnancies.
Our legal system becomes a farce when it holds onto laws that moralize our civil liberties, are not enforcible or are enforced only to discriminate against certain groups of people. Our laws should not be a reflection of someone’s whims or personal beliefs but rather to protect our citizens from harm and I fail to see how such laws protect two consenting adults.