The Council of Grand Justices ruling yesterday that adultery as a crime is unconstitutional drew praise from some women’s rights groups, who called it a “milestone for the progress of Taiwan’s Constitution and gender justice,” but others said the decision would only result in more adultery.
After the council issued Constitutional Interpretation No. 791 at 4pm, several groups gathered outside the Judicial Yuan in support of the decision, including the Awakening Foundation, the Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation and the Taiwan Gender Equality Education Association.
In a press release, the Awakening Foundation said that the ruling protects a person’s sexual autonomy, privacy and dignity from being compromised in a marriage.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The interpretation shows that the council took the evolving definitions of an intimate relationship, as well as diversity in modern marriages, into consideration, it said.
The ruling could be a blow to victims of adultery who seek justice by invoking the Criminal Code, but criminal punishment should not be the answer, as it cannot force a person to remain in a marriage against their wishes, the statement said.
Decriminalizing adultery is not tantamount to agreeing with adultery, it added.
Since a marriage starts from the Civil Code, people should only invoke the code in the face of marital disputes, and focus on constructive solutions, such as the distribution of wealth and childcare if a couple chooses to divorce, or counseling should they wish to remain together, it said.
“Hopefully, decriminalizing adultery and allowing marital affairs be dealt with solely by the Civil Code would allow people to handle emotional lows related to marriage in a healthier way,” the foundation said.
Opposition groups said that the council’s decision values sexual autonomy more than marriage and family, calling the interpretation “outrageous, insane and not in line with public opinion.”
Coalition for the Happiness of our Next Generation president Tseng Hsien-ying (曾獻瑩) said that decriminalizing adultery would fuel adultery and create “a world full of adulterers.”
Treating adultery as a crime has preventive effects and helps uphold family values, as well as protect disadvantaged women and children, Tseng said.
Without the support of the Criminal Code, people betrayed by their partners would only be more disadvantaged, as they have fewer resources to claim compensation, he added.
Mothers Shield Alliance deputy secretary-general Shan Hsin-ai (單信愛) said that many mothers would shed tears of sorrow upon hearing the ruling, as it deprives them of the protections afforded by the Criminal Code, and “all the sacrifices and efforts they make for the family could be for nothing.”
The council’s ruling could make women lose faith in marriage and distort young people’s values of marriage, as they might think that they can “cheat with as many people as they want if they have money.”
Treating adultery as a crime helps keep families on track and serves the public interest well, Shan said, adding that the government should introduce complementary measures to safeguard the rights of women.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to