Even though premarital sex is now the norm in our society, many religious denominations still consider sexual intercourse between an unmarried man and woman to be a sin and unmarried cohabitation to be immoral. What some folks would find surprising is that several states still have laws penalizing consenting heterosexual sex in private or outlawing unmarried cohabitation.

In Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia, such "secular sins" are generally punished as misdemeanors carrying penalties of up to several months in jail.

But even more amazing is the fact that in 17 states there are statutes on the books which stigmatize children born to unmarried parents by labeling the offspring as "bastards" or "illegitimate" children. In 37 states, it is the judges who continue to brand these children as "illegitimate."

The American Association for Single People believes that every child is legitimate. Judicial and legislative name calling is unconstitutional and must cease.

AASP is launching a national campaign to stop the stigma associated with the unmarried status of parents and their children. AASP plans to write to the

Our request is simple: stop the name calling. Lawmakers should remove the term "bastard" from statutes. Legislators and judges should replace "illegitimate child" with more appropriate terminology. A phrase such as "child born to unmarried parents" would do.

Before we contact key officials in these states, however, we want to enlist the support of a variety of allies. We will ask a wide range of national, state, and local organizations to endorse our Stop the Stigma Campaign.

We want the support of legal and professional associations, women’s groups, children’s and human rights agencies, and single-parent associations, as well as religious, political, and corporate leaders.

Society should show respect as each child is welcomed into this world. The dignity of all children should be honored, including the millions of babies born each year to unmarried parents.

As our Human Rights Agenda for Unmarried America shows, marital status discrimination is a pervasive problem in this country. Discrimination against unmarried adults in employment, housing, insurance, credit, and taxation is bad enough, but stigmatizing children as "bastards" or "illegitimates" is utterly indefensible.

We need your help. Please make a generous tax-deductible donation to AASP to help us implement this important project.