There are plenty of weird or stupid laws still on the books. In New York, you aren’t allowed to carry an ice cream cone in your pocket on Sundays. Owning the Encyclopedia Britannica is against the law in Texas. Out in Connecticut, you can’t sell a pickle unless it bounces. Speaking of pickles, be careful what you do with yours in Maryland because giving or receiving oral sex is still technically illegal in the state. However, that will probably change soon.
The “Criminal Law – Unnatural or Perverted Sexual Practice- Repeal” bill would repeal a current state law that considers “tak[ing] the sexual organ of another or of an animal in the person’s mouth” a crime worthy of 10 years in prison, fine not exceeding $1,000 or both. This is an archaic law that people likely ignore, but what has moved lawmakers to change this regulation is the precedent set when the Supreme court overturned Roe v. Wade. The question of true body autonomy and the privacy consenting adults are entitled to in their bedrooms is up in the air, so elected officials everywhere are moved to make some rights more concrete.
Senator Clarence Lam, a Democrat and one of the bill's sponsors, said the statute on the books is “extremely outdated, likely unconstitutional, and also criminalizes consensual oral sex.” Lam also added that he believes legislators “shouldn’t assume court decisions will stand forever, and we should periodically update our laws to ensure that we aren’t overly relying on court decisions as past precedent,” said Lam.
A Republican Senator named Justin Ready attempted to delay the process of the bill’s passing by adding an amendment to protect children, which was met with a debate that determined no, this would not make pedophilia legal — child sex offenses are still covered. In all likelihood, the repeal will pass and come into effect on October 1, 2023. Ready and any other lawmakers who have a problem with it for some odd reason, that’s just something he’ll have to swallow.
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