One of Alaska Governor Sean Parnell’s appointees that nominates state judges believes that premarital sex should be illegal.  Don Haase of Valdez, Alaska testified last week before the Senate Judiciary Committee that he would like to see people prosecuted for having sex outside of marriage.

Haase stated that he would not let his personal beliefs impact his decision on which candidates he would approve to become judges in the state.  He was picked by Parnell for one of the three public seats on the Alaska Judicial Council but doesn’t believe his personal opinions would sway his decisions.  “It would be a very convoluted process to sit on this board to change the law,” said Haase, testifying by telephone. “It would be an inconvenient way to do it.”

Under testimony, Haase also admitted that he had not disclosed his leadership role for the Eagle Forum Alaska, a group that advocates for social conservative issues.  He most recently served as president of the organization but resigned when he was nominated for the Alaska Judicial Council by the governor.

Haase does not believe that the extramarital sex should be a felony however he does think it should be criminalized.  “I think it’s very harmful to have extramarital affairs. It’s harmful to children, it’s harmful to the spouse who entered a legally binding agreement to marry the person that’s cheating on them,” Haase testified.  A Democratic Senator then asked how Haase felt about premarital sex and if that should be a crime.  “I think that would be up to the voters certainly. If it came before (the state) as a vote, I probably would vote for it … I can see where it would be a matter for the state to be involved with because of the spread of disease and the likelihood that it would cause violence. I can see legitimate reasons to push that as a crime.”

This takes legislating morality to a whole new level.

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About the author

Erin Chavez
Erin Whitney-Chavez has been writing professionally since 2009. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts from St. Bonaventure University and received a Master of Arts in mental-health counseling from Argosy University. Erin Whitney-Chavez is a licensed mental health counselor and has worked in the mental-health field for more than 10 years.

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