Let's hear it for polygamy

[Pah]

Tom Green is an American polygamist. This month, he will appeal his conviction in Utah for that offense to the United States Supreme Court, in a case that could redefine the limits of marriage, privacy and religious freedom.

If the court agrees to take the case, it would be forced to confront a 126-year-old decision allowing states to criminalize polygamy that few would find credible today, even as they reject the practice. And it could be forced to address glaring contradictions created in recent decisions of constitutional law.

Individuals have a recognized constitutional right to engage in any form of consensual sexual relationship with any number of partners. Thus, a person can live with multiple partners and even sire children from different partners so long as they do not marry. However, when that same person accepts a legal commitment for those partners "as a spouse," we jail them.

Likewise, someone such as singer Britney Spears can have multiple husbands so long as they are consecutive, not concurrent. Thus, Spears can marry and divorce men in quick succession and become the maven of tabloid covers. Yet if she marries two of the men for life, she will become the matron of a state prison.

The complete article is here

-pah-

 

[painted wolf]

I have to say that as long as women have as much say in this as men, then I have no problem with polygamy. ie. a women can have multiple husbands if she so chooses.
Also that the entire number of people involved in this sort of relationship agree with the addition/subtraction of new spouses. But these are personal issues not legal ones and thus up to the individuals involved in the relationship.

Although this issue has some 'colorful' proponants that I'm not shure help the issue or give it much credibility in the popular view.

wa:do

 

[Ceridwen018]

Other people can do what they want, I guess. All I know, is that my future husband had better keep his hands to me and himself!

 

[dolly]

If polygamy is legal, there needs to be some check to make sure that the previous spouses agree, and to make sure that enough of the partners work to support the family.

 

[Sunstone]

If polygamy is legal, there needs to be some check to make sure that the previous spouses agree, and to make sure that enough of the partners work to support the family.

But, Dolly, that takes all the fun out of it!

I've noticed from some of the articles the newsbot has posted that the polygamists along the Utah/Arizona border are often on welfare. Also, the articles state that there is a "surplus" population of young men who cannot get married because too many young women are married off to older men with multiple wives. All in all, it doesn't seem like a happy situation where polygamy is being practiced.