"A fornication law?"

My wife's jaw nearly hit the

floor. It was obvious that she wasn't expecting to hear anything like

this on the nightly local news.

She probably wasn't alone.

How often does anybody use the word fornication in the year 2002? How

many people even know what it means?

In case you haven't heard,

fornication is sex outside of marriage, and it's still illegal in the

state of Georgia. There - I knew that would get your attention. Whereas

adultery involves cheating on a spouse, fornication does not. It can be

two single, consenting adults.

This decades-old statute is

back in the news in Georgia because of a teenager in Fayette County who

has challenged its constitutionality. The 16-year-old was apparently doing

the deed with his girlfriend in her bedroom at about 3 a.m. when her parents

caught them one day in September of last year. The youth was charged with

a misdemeanor.

Along comes the American Civil

Liberties Union, carrying the banner for promiscuous teens across the

nation. Their attorneys proclaimed that the accused youth had his privacy

rights violated. Citing a recent repeal of Georgia's sodomy law, the ACLU

has argued that the fornication statute should fall under the same guidelines.

A lot of people are missing

the point here. The prosecutor was correct in asserting that the boy had

no right to privacy since he was in the girl's home without the parents'

knowledge. (It would appear that he knew her mom and dad would not approve

of his presence in her room at 3 a.m.)

The ACLU attorney responded

consensual sexual activity by persons legally able to give consent in

a private place," he said. "It's one of those government-in-the-bedroom

issues."

I don't what he means by "legally

able to give consent" in this case, but unless this girl is paying

the mortgage, she has no right to privacy here either. The last time I

checked, it's the parents who make the rules in the house, as much as

that probably pains the ACLU. Since the girl reportedly put a chair under

the doorknob to keep out everyone else, it is likely that she knew her

actions would be frowned upon.

This young woman should thank

God for a mom and dad who actually take the time to see what's going on

in their house and then raise a fuss when it doesn't meet with their approval.

Too many parents either don't bother to keep up with their children or

react with a yawn when they do know what's going on.

There are plenty of parents

who, in a situation similar to this one, would invite the boy over for

the night with full knowledge of what the teens had in mind. Adults with

alleged intelligence justify this type of thinking by saying that at least

they know where their kids are. These are the same people who respond

to possible drunkenness and other dangerous behavior on prom night by

renting hotel rooms for their children to party in, so they won't be out

on the streets. God help them.

But as far as a fornication

law, it needs to be taken off the books. You heard me right. The state

Supreme Court should overturn it as soon as possible. But my reasons are

not the same as the ACLU's.

It's absolutely hypocritical

to have a law such as this in today's society. Teens and adults are bombarded

with sex everywhere they turn. They can legally listen to music that glorifies

abuse of women and every possible rejection of authority. They can legally

watch television shows and movies that depict people having indiscriminate

sex with absolutely no hint of possible consequences. Our public schools

even teach young people how to be "responsible" when indulging

in sexual relationships.

But it's irresponsible, even

insulting, to expect people to abide by a fornication law when every aspect

of our society encourages them to do the opposite. It simply cannot coexist

with our culture's "if it feels good, do it" philosophy. It

will take a great deal of work on the part of parents and their young

people to go against the grain and do the right thing, those who succeed

will be motivated by moral and religious reasons.

A law will not make any difference

here, because self-government requires self-discipline. Most of today's

teens, and adults, have a long way to go on that score.

[Monroe Roark's Web address

is www.mroark.com.]