However, the Jews under Roman occupation weren't stoning anyone, as the Romans forbade them to capitally punish anyone on their own. Capital offenses had to go through the Roman courts, and it's doubtful that the Romans would have recognized Jewish adultery as a crime. (There were two kinds of marriages in imperial Rome - those sealed by the Roman courts, and common law marriages, i.e. everything else. Jews didn't go before the Roman courts to marry.)
Had Joseph exercised his rights under Jewish custom, Mary would have indeed had a terrible life - banished from her family and community; probably forced into a life of prostitution or worse. But not put to death by stoning.
Yet there are instances in the Gospels where they indeed take up stones to kill. I recall one instance, against Jesus Himself, and another against the woman caught in adultery. You're right that it was not officially sanctioned, but I doubt whether the Romans really cared very much if a Jewish person happened to be unoffically offed in such a way.
Cordially,
I like his general point, that under Mary's dire circumstances had Planned Parenthood gotten hold of her they would have counseled her to get an abortion.
As they would have the mothers of my two children, adopted from foster care with my wife and I after chaotic and dysfunctional birth circumstances. And the world would have been deprived of two beautiful and terrific little boys.
Uh, convenient conclusion, but remember the bit in the gospel where Jesus stops the crowd from stoning the adulteress? Seems like, whether formally decreed or not, stoning of fallen women was, indeed, a part of the culture.
Well, we know that the Jews did occasionally stone people during Roman rule. In the Book of Acts, Stephen was stoned.