Switzerland considers repealing incest laws - Telegraph

Switzerland considers repealing incest laws - Telegraph


Switzerland considers repealing incest laws
Switzerland is considering repealing its incest laws because they are "obsolete".


By Allan Hall in Berlin 4:17PM GMT 13 Dec 2010
The upper house of the Swiss parliament has drafted a law decriminalising sex between consenting family members which must now be considered by the government.

There have been only three cases of incest since 1984.

Switzerland, which recently held a referendum passing a draconian law that will boot out foreigners convicted of committing the smallest of crimes, insists that children within families will continue to be protected by laws governing abuse and paedophilia.



Daniel Vischer, a Green party MP, said he saw nothing wrong with two consenting adults having sex, even if they were related.

"Incest is a difficult moral question, but not one that is answered by penal law," he said.

Barbara Schmid Federer of The Christian People's Party of Switzerland said the proposal from the upper house was "completely repugnant."

"I for one could not countenance painting out such a law from the statute books."

The Protestant People's Party is also opposed to decriminalising the offence which at present carries a maximum three year jail term.

A spokesman for the party said: "Murder is also quite rare in Switzerland but no one suggests that we remove that as an office from the statutes."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/
switzerland/8198917/Switzerland-considers-repealing-incest-laws.html