Holyrood to debate incest legalisation

Richard Morris is lobbying the Scottish government to change the law so that it no longer applies to adults over the age of 21 consenting to incestual relations.

The petition was not made available to the public and Mr Morris will not appear to give evidence to the Public Petitions Committee which will discuss whether or not to write to the Scottish government for opinions on the issue.

In 2007 the Scottish Law Commission (SLC) produced a report recommending the offence be retained under the current definition. MSPs will be able to close the petition under standing orders on the basis of this report.

Mr Morris began a campaign after a Scottish man was convicted of incest with his daughter.

He said in his written submission to the committee he had almost completed a book on incest and described the current law as treating people who commit incest akin to how homosexuals were once treated.

He said: “The Scots incest law perpetuates superstitious, bigoted, outmoded beliefs, and in its present form its continued existence is unjustified.”

The Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995 provides that incest is sexual intercourse between blood relatives – as well as relationships between adoptive and former adoptive parents and children – of opposite sexes.