Legal to beat ones wife?

Mrs.Lucysnow

Valued Senior Member
I've just been told that apparently some laws have been on the books for so long that its legal to beat ones wife in South Caroline once a month and only on Sunday in front of the court house steps.:bugeye:

In Stafford County its legal to beat your wife on the court house steps but it must be done before 8am and I think you have to use a stick.

It seems these laws are alive and well in Arkansas and perhaps even Alabama, West Virginia and Georgia.

It just doesn't sound correct to me. Can anyone tell me whether these laws are really still on the books and if so why the hell does it need to be done on any given Sunday on court house steps? :confused:

It seems that there isn't anyone actually acting on these laws but it leaves a creepy feeling knowing that IF your husband happen to stroll your ass down to the court house on a sunday he can bloody well whip it as well and claim protection from the law. Its sooo reminiscent of The Quiet Man where John Wayne dragged and manhandled Maureen O'Sullivan all over town only to be praised and offered a stick by a nice old lady so he could whack his lovely wife.

Of course real wife beaters don't care if they're given liberty or not.
 
That's like the law in Vic where if you ride a horse to a pub they are required by law to feed and water your horse
 
It's likely the old wife beating law was to lessen the occurrence's of murder/manslaughter as to beat a wife on the court stairs would allow someone to intervene if a person got too physical.

Obviously in this day and age the law is clearly outdated and quite likely depreciated.
 
I think most if not all of those laws have been superceeded by newer laws on domestic violence. But there was a time when wife beating was normal and legal.
 
What an utterly ridiculous thing. Beating your own wife is like crapping on your own doorstep. ;)


*runs to the hills*
 
Yes. One should only beat other people's wives; to beat one's own wife could involve the accusation of bias.
 
hmmm ..... If a gay marriage, who can beat whom? :scratchin:
O.K., maybe in this case we can know. :D
But if there is a marriage between lesbians? :confused:
 
Another point I missed is that if you decided you wanted to beat your wife during a frenzied argument, by the time you get to the court house you will have likely cooled down, likely lessening the instances of wife beatings.
 
I've just been told that apparently some laws have been on the books for so long that its legal to beat ones wife in South Caroline once a month and only on Sunday in front of the court house steps.:bugeye:
Laws generally don't get removed, they just get ignored or repealed by a subsequent law. There are all sorts of absurd and objectionable laws still in the books. They're rather amusing to peruse but don't typically stand up in a courtroom.

http://www.bspcn.com/2010/08/27/10-dumb-laws-which-still-exist/
http://cjkat.newsvine.com/_news/2010/11/18/5489403-silly-dumb-and-outrageous-laws-still-on-the-books

~Raithere
 
I think most if not all of those laws have been superceeded by newer laws on domestic violence. But there was a time when wife beating was normal and legal.

If it's in front of the courthouse then it's not really domestic anymore, but it would be fun if it happened, especailly if it's a lesbian married couple.
 
So does that mean if we like it, we can just go wait at a court house on any given Sunday?
 
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