All of the legal ramifications as well as the procedures should be discussed with the lawyer handling the adoption. This has changed a great deal and will probably change more. Physically attacking your spouse is also a crime, and leads to arrest and prosecution more often now than in the past. When you are married it is a violation of criminal law to have sexual intercourse voluntarily with anyone but your spouse. Even when adultery is not prosecuted as a crime, it is grounds for divorce, and in many cases it can keep the guilty spouse from receiving alimony.
Unmarried couples living together in sexual relationships are no longer uncommon.
Probably because these laws are seldom enforced, many couples have this arrangement, either instead of marriage or as a trial period before marriage. In these situations it has become popular to have agreements, either informal or written, on certain matters, from property rights, to household duties, to child rearing and responsibilities. Because of the public policy against this living arrangement, such agreements are not always legally enforceable. The courts will not enforce a contract that is primarily based on illegal activities. However, unmarried couples may still find it useful to make sure that they understand their relationship and agree on their living arrangements and finances.