Gay marriage is legal. Marijuana is decriminalized. Health care is free. But apparently, polygamy is illegal. Well, no country is 100% perfect, right?
I have spoken before about how goofy I find the Mormon religion and beliefs and it's from Mormonism that the modern idea of multiple wives comes from.
From Joseph Smith onward, for me, the whole Mormon religion seemed like one big con - polygamy being the worst part of the scam for women and children. It's easy to justify needing large families to tame a wild West but today it's just a way for ignorant crackers to exploit uneducated women and children. Many studies have been done confirming my opinion.
Women in plural marriages tend to suffer from higher rates of depression and other mental health problems, and are also at greater risk of physical abuse than women in monogamous relationships. Polygamous women also enjoy little economic freedom or security, particularly if and when they end the relationship.
Yet while women are often unequal to men in polygamous communities, the men, too, suffer. Notably, given the competition for brides, many young men are drummed out and forced to survive in an unfamiliar world with little in the way of education or life skills.
As one can gather, children might very well suffer the most. Children of plural marriages experience higher rates of abuse and neglect, higher rates of emotional and behaviour problems, and lower rates of educational success.
How can anyone conclude that polygamy isn't inherently harmful?
Once again Canada stands up for what is right. I thank B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Bauman for upholding the law and doing what is right for the most vulnerable.
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Polygamy+crime/5772269/story.html
%20(002).jpg)
.jpg)
6 comments:
I don't think the judge's decision will be upheld on appeal. Virtually all those same evils exist in two-person marriages yet that form of marriage is not banned.
If plural marriage is legalized, however, the law must provide that:
(1) both women and men may marry more than one spouse (i.e. one woman could have several husbands too, not just vice versa);
(2) no underage person can enter a plural marriage;
(3) support and matrimonial property entitlement must be equal and the same on divorce for all plural spouses. I would think the implications of bankruptcy from 2 or more such divorces would dissuade any sane person from entering such a plural union.
I have spoken.
+1 on Debra's Comment.
BTW, the Morman Church at large bans Plural Marriages. It gets you excommunicated if you're caught. All of the considerable number of Mormans that I know look upon Polygamy in general with a jaundiced eye. Not last on the list of reasons why is the idiot child abusers that show up in the press from time to time. People tend to paint all Mormans with the same brush when stuff like that comes up. Bastards like Warren Jeffs should be ground up like sausage.
Polygamy, as practiced in a strict religious environment (Mormanism), wherein the male is all important and the head of his household, is but one form of poly relationships.
I agree that structure may indeed be more likely to be depressive to women, foster higher incidents of abuse and have little economic freedom.
That's because of the *religion*, not the relationships.
Polyamory can be perfectly healthy for all involved. It isn't a religion.
Thanks for redefining my viewpoint. Like you I have my problems with the RELIGION part of this that makes an unequal power sharing arrangement justified. It's unworkable as a system to run a society and it's selfish and a little creepy. Any connections any humans can make that build up a person and not break them down in a systemic organized way, I am with. More hugs and less Homer Simpsons.
I believe the Book of Mormon actually condemns polygamy, but Smith changed his mind when he decided he wanted more wives.
Must be nice to have a religion where you can just change the rules whenever you get a hard on.
Post a Comment