This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Back in the time of chivalry, it was a crime to impugn the chastity of a woman. But, as Salt Lake City Democratic Sen. Scott McCoy points out, we don't live in the time of duels anymore. And Utah's criminal defamation law is slightly outdated. House Judiciary Committee members sent McCoy's update of the law, SB122, to the full House for debate Monday. The legislation is meant to slice out antiquated and unconstitutional sections of the statute - including disparaging statements about a woman's sex life as well as a section that makes it illegal to give false or libelous information to a newspaper or television station. Kearns Republican Rep. Eric Hutchings questioned cutting the prohibition on providing false information to a reporter, saying he failed to see any public benefit in allowing "people to intentionally lie to the media." But attorneys on the committee noted that news organizations would still be liable for publishing that information. - Rebecca Walsh
