Florida Republicans Fight To Keep ‘Cohabitation’ Of Unmarried Couples Illegal
The Sun Sentinel reports that one Florida Republican is commendably trying to repeal these irrelevant laws — only to be met with mass opposition from his fellow Republicans including Gov. Rick Scott (R). These social conservatives won’t support his effort to finally legalize a common practice and would prefer that official condemnation of couples ‘living in sin’ stay enshrined in state law:
Now, Rep. Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, is on a mission to repeal the statutes penalizing adultery and cohabitation, as well as other laws he finds outdated, like a requirement that all bicycle riders keep one hand on the handle bars. […]
Nobody else much wants to talk about it either.
Asked how Gov. Rick Scott felt about the measure, spokeswoman Amy Graham replied simply, ‘This isn’t an issue the governor is focused on.’
The bill has no Senate counterpart. And given the almost-certain opposition of social conservatives who lobby hard on ‘family values’ issues, it’ll face tough sledding in an election year.
Consider the response of state Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, who previously headed the Florida chapter of the Christian Coalition: ‘I’m not ready to give up on monogamy and a cultural statement that marriage still matters,’ he said.