Crime against nature

This article is about types of sex act. For other uses, see Crime against nature (disambiguation).
For the crime against the natural environment, see Environmental crime.

The crime against nature or unnatural act has historically been a legal term in English-speaking states identifying forms of sexual behavior not considered natural or decent and are legally punishable offenses.[1] Sexual practices that have historically been considered to be "crimes against nature" include masturbation, sodomy[2] and bestiality.[3]

  1. ^ William Blackstone (1753), Commentaries on the Laws of England, Book 4, Chapter 15, Section 4
  2. ^ See Rose v. Locke, 1975, 96 S.Ct. 243, 423 U.S. 48, 46 L.Ed.2d 185.
  3. ^ Andrews v. Vanduzer, N.Y.Sup. 1814 (January Term, 1814) (Vanduzer accused Andrews of having had connection with a cow and then a mare and the court understood this to mean that Vanduzer was going around telling others that Andrews had been guilty of the crime against nature with a beast.