Lawmakers across party lines on Thursday remained silent on the agreement of the preparatory committee for the National Congress on Judicial Reform to list adultery as an offense that needs to be decriminalized, with only a few openly voicing support or opposition.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) said the party had already received a great many reactions — mostly negative — regarding the news that decriminalizing adultery would be a part of future judicial reforms.
Lin called on the government to hold more public hearings and listen to opinions from all sides, adding that judicial reforms should not be carried out until there is a social consensus.
People First Party (PFP) Legislator Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) said that while many counties do not treat adultery as a criminal and punishable offense, the culture in Taiwan still tends to be conservative on such social issues.
Decriminalizing adultery could have a social impact comparable with the decriminalization of class-4 narcotics, which led to an increase in the number of younger drug users, Lee said.
New Power Party (NPP) Legislators declined to comment on the development.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) said he fully supported the motion and said adultery cases should be adjudicated in civil courts, as treating adultery as a criminal issue was outdated and unfair.
KMT caucus convener Sufin Siluko (廖國棟) said he opposes the proposal and that decriminalizing adultery would cause severe change within society.
The KMT supports “family values” and would keep those values in mind when scrutinizing the amendment in the Legislative Yuan, Sufin said.
The committee also called for the abolition of Article 239 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (刑事訴訟法), should Article 239 of the Criminal Code not be abolished.
Article 239 of the Code of Criminal Procedure states that under the “no trials without complaint” principle, if charges against one of the accomplices are dropped, charges against all other suspects would need to be dropped as well. Under Article 239 of the Criminal Code, however, adulterers would still be charged should their spouse retract the charges.
The committee has held five meetings to date, though it has experienced several setbacks, including opposition by Prosecutor-General Yen Da-ho (顏大和), who said that the reforms were a publicity stunt.
Two of the committee’s original members have resigned, citing a lack of respect among the members, too many issues on the agenda and the committee overreaching its authority.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu, front, grabs the pennant in a dragon boat race hosted by Qu Yuan Temple in the Shuanghsi River in Taipei’s Beitou District yesterday.
RSS