Should polygamy be legalized?
Polygamy should be legalized, because it causes no harm.
Polygamy is a practice popular in some religions, and it should be legalized. There is no harm that comes from polygamy, and it can be argued that it makes a much stronger family unit, as there are more adults to help out and deal with finances, children, and other aspects of a marriage.
Posted by: TedieDelightWhy would the government want to make families criminals?
It doesn't make sense to make people who love each other and want to be married to each other into criminals. It in no way destroys the sanctity of marriage. It is in fact a man and woman who want to be married to each other. These are people who want to have stable homes and families, people who want to make sure they can provide health care to their loved ones. It is one thing to deny someone from marrying more than one person. It is another to make them criminals. Is there any other reason other than religion that it is illegal? Religion should never, ever have anything to do with the law. Seems like the people who say no are the same people, and use the same argument as the ones who are against gay marriage. A law should never be based on anything other than what is fair and equal to everyone. Religion or religious beliefs should never have any influence on the right to choose who and even how many people should be in a relationship. We don't all practice the same religion, we don't all practice religion, we don't all even believe in God.
Posted by: AnonymousKeep the Government Out of People's Personal lives
I think that men who practice it unjustly, especially in middle-eastern communities, like Afghanistan give a distorted view of the practice. People have have told me that they practice it because the system is so corrupt that the men can do what they want. First of all this is not true, Muslim men are allowed to practice polygamy according to Sharia law, but this requires they treat all women fairly. Further, even if this is was the cause, it is still does not justify a prohibition of the practice or a reason not to legalize it. Corruption and old-fashioned patriarchal societies, which have historically treated women unfairly, may cause polygamy, but this does not mean that polygamy causes corruption or oppression of women. Historically, the model for polygamy can be taken as somewhat sexist, in this sense that there were and still are societies where men take women as property. However, the sexism in these cultures would have existed, and in fact, persisted, even when polygamy was outlawed. Blaming polygamy as the cause of oppression is wrong; there may be a correlation, but this does not imply causation. What really needs to be done in the case of polygamy is for it to be modernized, just as how divorce law was modernized to prevent women from being unfairly treated in monogamous marriages. Also, the government should not dictate how people run their personal family life. Our society idolizes a family with a monogamous couple, and our emphasis on alternative family lifestyles such as polygamy, skews our notion of what is really important. What is important is loving parents, not how many. The media has unjustly biased our opinion of these families because terrorists like Osama Bin Laden and criminals like Warren Jeffs practice it, and their stories are what people point to when supporting the government's prohibition. Again, the problem is that both of these men were fundamentalists and the culture with which they were associated was already archaic in its treatment of women. A modern version of a polygamous family is none of the government's business unless harm is being done to another person. There are monogamous families that are abusive and polygamous families that are not. Categorically outlawing one is a severe invasion of privacy and serves to bias our opinion of people whose lifestyle choices differ from own. Although I am democrat and support most of Barack Obama's politics, I think it is incredibly unfair that people supported him in 2008 just because his personal life meets up to our puritanical ideal. After all, his politics and policies are not much different than Bill Clinton, and yet the latter was impeached on grounds of his indiscretion. Can you imagine if Bill Clinton was a polygamist? Further, it is unfair that because of the association with Mormons and polygamy, Mitt Romney, as a Mormon, was frowned upon by some voters. We should vote based on policy and issue, not a politician's personal life, which really should be none of our business anyway. The government needs to spend more time fighting terrorism, dealing with gun control and protecting peoples LIVES than wasting our taxpayer dollars on invading the private lives of people suspected of "polygamy" because of their lifestyle choices. People should be allowed to live with who they want and make contracts with each other without the government intrusion. If a polygamous family files for tax-breaks and the government does not want to grant, fine, but they should be sued for tax-fraud, not convicted and incarcerated for polygamy, which costs the government much more money anyway. Creating a modern, legalized version of polygamy as an alternative lifestyle where all parties consent would go a long ways to upholding First Amendment Rights to Freedom of Religion in the case of the Mormon. Further, not only would it show separation of church and state, but also separation of "popular lifestyle" and state. Taxes and tax breaks might be a slight issue, but if people have to support a large family (of spouses and possibly children), tax beaks would be good, and probably would not be much more complicated than a series of divorces, re-marriages, and child-custody battles, all of which do much more harm to children than some polygamous marriage. Finally, I would like to note that I use Polygamy to mean a marriage consisting of multiple spouses, and I do not think it should matter if the spouses are men, women, transsexuals, hermaphrodites, etc. It is THEIR private life and the government should not intrude. This is not to suggest that I equate gay marriage to polygamy, but I do think that the government has unjustly invaded the privacy of gay couples in the past as much as it as unjustly invaded and invades the privacy of polygamous families. Whether or not legal recognition is eventually granted, which would more less come down to an issue of taxes, we should at least decriminalize the practice.
Posted by: brahorowitzPolygamy as a taboo under Historical Cultural Norm should be done away with!
The ban on polygamy is based solely on european culture, it makes no since fornication and adultery are allowed by polygyny is forbidden., It is a practice that has existed since the earliest recorded human history, and to illegalize it is contrare to the principals of America. It is another example of the attempt of european culture to stamp out the culture of other americans.
Posted by: AnonymousAlthough it is not for everybody, if people are law-abiding, they have a right to live in any family unit that is desired.
If someone has multiple wives, it does not cause harm to the society. If the wives are willing, the husband has the economic means to support them, they are paying taxes, and the children are treated well, then they are abiding by the same laws as everyone else, and it should be legal. It is a human right.
Posted by: DisillusionedGilberto67It's not an issue of legalization, because polygamy is a natural right under our precepts.
The practice may be ugly, but that does not mean it should be illegal. People have the right to free movement, and to enter into any contract with another willing individual they choose. And the attempt to bring children into the issue is against all people's rights, because the act of polygamy is no proof of a crime against a child. And to break up a family under this guise is a violation of our protection from unreasonable search and seizure.
Posted by: waffleshqI agree that polygamy should be legalized, because adultery is not illegal, and they amount to the same thing.
From a legal standpoint, it makes no sense for polygamy to be against the law. For example: men often cheat on their spouses, and sometimes those affairs produce children. More often than not, those children are without a father and financial support. Polygamists simply take it to a higher level, because they keep their families together and all of the adults are aware and consenting. The kids are well cared for and everyone is happy. It needs to be pointed out that polygamists aren't legally marrying all these additional wives. They are sealed by their churches. But since they are not filing legal documents of marriage with the courts, they haven't actually committed a crime. They have simply taken adultery to a whole new, and much more respectable, level.
Posted by: N3vinFacePolygamy is a religious practice that should be protected under the freedom of religion laws.
Polygamy is the most-practiced form of marriage in the world. Although it has not been practiced by Judeo-Christians in many centuries, it was even practiced by notable prophets in our own Bible. Suddenly changing our minds about polygamy to make some kind of moral statement about it and use the Christianity as an example is an absurdity. The only other logical argument is that it is detrimental to society in some way. While I agree that the practice of polygamy on some of the fundamentalist compounds should be illegal due to the fact that they are forcing young girls to marry before the age of consent, not allowing people to leave the compound, or using women as rewards, the principle of polygamy in general as a religious or even preferred lifestyle practice has no detriment that I can determine. If a man cheats on his wife, he does not go to jail, but he can be arrested for "cheating" on his wife when she approves of it? That is also ridiculous. The children and sister wives of polygamist families are often the biggest proponents of the benefits of having such a large family with a large support system.
Posted by: AniyaCI think polygamy should be legalized because, if all of the people involved are aware of the situation, then nobody is injured.
I think polygamy should be legalized because, if all of the people involved are aware of the situation, then nobody is injured. It should not be the business of the government to decide how many wives or husbands a person can have. As long as all the wives or husbands agree to the marriage arrangement, then it should be legal.
Posted by: GaudyTory37Yes, polygamy should be legalized, because it is just another form for marriage.
People have fought hard to have same-sex marriages made legal. So why not multiple-partner marriages? Just like same-sex marriages, it is a matter of choice, and should be made legal. Very few marriages work out between two people, so it is not like a marriage has to last to be legal in the first place. Sure, a polygamous marriage might have a higher chance of ending in divorce than a normal one, but that is no reason to disallow the practice. Only monogamous marriages being legal is something that has close ties to Christianity, a religion that has far too much control over the American government, which is a country that supposedly practices freedom of religion.
Posted by: H_BairdThis is an issue of individual freedom and I do not believe the law should say how many people you can be with intimately.
Some of the practices of polygamists are bad, no doubt, but in the abstract there is nothing wrong with taking more than one wife if all parties are consenting adults. Polygamy is a practice that has worked in several societies throughout human history and as long as all are treated fairly - and once again, consenting - then I believe the law has no place to restrict these people from doing what they want within their own bedrooms and their own families.
Posted by: dearbelieverPolygamy should be legalized because the government has no business interfering in any mating preferences.
What are we doing interfering with what consenting adults choose to do?
The government should prevent harm to children, and so we have laws that prevent young children from marrying. The government should prevent one person from forcing another into a marriage they do not want to enter, and so we have laws to prevent that.
If two or more individuals choose to live a life style that we do not approve of--what right to we have to criminalize their actions?
Polygamy has serious problems as it is practiced by some. Children are bred and trained to marry at a very young age. This should be controlled, obviously. If an unspecified number of adults wish to form a family group and call it marriage, they should be allowed to do so. They harm no one. If they pose a threat to "traditional marriage," as is so often postulated, then they are only a threat if their relationship succeeds--if it fails, it can only strengthen traditional marriage.
Polygamy and gay marriages should be "allowed" because they are not against any law. In other words, we speak of "allowing" something that has never been prohibited by law. We don't have that right.Posted by: CI3Iike
Polygamy is completely wrong, because marriage should be between one man and one woman only.
The only evidence I need to give on this matter is what it says in the Bible. Or, one could just ask the majority of people how they feel marriage should be viewed, even if they weren't from a religious background. I mean, it really isn't that hard to explain just how most see it, which is marriage equals two people, not several.
Posted by: ladoblevidaPolygamy shouldn't be legalized, because it denies the sanctity of marriage and normal Christian living.
Polygamy, or the practice of having more than one spouse, is not a Christian way to live life. It denies the sanctity of marriage, and it is not a healthy way to live. In our culture, in America, it would be life-shattering to most people. I realize other cultures are different, and that polygamy would be viewed differently, elsewhere. But, this doesn't make the practice, itself, right.
Posted by: ToyMattPolygamy is harmful to the family structure and to society and should not be permitted except in cases of religious tolerance.
It is well known by psychologists, and the community at large that polygamy is not a healthy family structure. It causes jealousy between the parties of the same sex that are sharing a life partner, causes confusion for children as to what love is, and creates a demeaning aspect for all woman in the society. Finally, men and women are created at an almost equal rate, and if polygamy was legalized and became the norm many men would be left w/out a woman to have a family with.
Posted by: daveyxhPolygamy should not be legalized, because it opens too many people up to abuse.
Polygamy is usually a way for men to abuse multiple women or young girls, like in the cases of the LDS men who were recently tried for this. I do not think that being married to multiple people is mutually beneficial to all parties involved, and can be another way to oppress and abuse people.
Posted by: LongShawn93I do not believe that polygamy should be legalized because I think it is immoral.
It is my belief that polygamy is immoral and should not be legalized. Children are better off in a home with one father and one mother. I also think that polygamy demeans the status of women since no one woman in a polygamous relationship receives the affection and station in life that a woman in a traditional marriage enjoys.
Posted by: R0d0FerdyI strongly oppose legalizing polygamy, because it completely goes against the key rules of marriage.
I believe that a strong factor in creating a healthy long-lasting marriage is being faithful to one's partner. Trust and faithfulness are what keep couples together. Polygamy goes completely against this. It has been reported that in most polygamy-style relationships, one or more partners feel insignificant and uncomfortable with the arrangement. If a husband really loves his wife, he will be true and faithful to her, and will not need multiple partners.
Posted by: FinBIondNo, because even monogamy already causes enough problems in this country.
People have trouble keeping one wife happy, and half of all marriages end in a messy divorce. If people were allowed to have more than one partner, this would just make the problem worse. There are already enough children and others whose lives are damaged by divorce with the rules the way they are. It does not need to be made any worse.
Posted by: R04chGrov